Surratt House Museum
Encyclopedia
The Surratt House is a historic home located at 9110 Brandywine Road in Clinton
(formerly Surrattsville), Prince George's County
, Maryland
, United States
. It is a 2-story 19th-century wood-frame structure with clapboard
ing. The plan is rectangular, with a gable
d roof, interior chimneys, wrap-around hip roof
ed porch with decorative brackets, and center door with side lights and transom
. There is a -story southeast wing, which is a replacement constructed in the 1980s. The original structure was built as a middle-class plantation
home in 1852. In the late 1960s, the Surratt House building was donated to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
(M-NCPPC) by long time Clinton residents, Mr and Mrs. B.K. Miller. The house was restored in 1976 by the M-NCPPC.
The home was owned by Mary Surratt
, who was convicted and hanged for complicity in plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln
. It also served as an arms and ammunition stop for John Wilkes Booth
during his flight from Ford’s Theater
after shooting Lincoln.
The Surratt House Museum is a museum located at the historic site and operated by the Surratt Society. It is devoted to mid-19th century Maryland
life and the Abraham Lincoln assassination
, especially related conspiracy theories. The James O. Hall
Research Center is located there.
The Surratt House Museum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973.
Clinton, Maryland
Clinton is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Clinton was formerly known as Surrattsville until after the time of the American Civil War. The population of Clinton was 26,064 at the 2000 census. However, as of 2007, there is an...
(formerly Surrattsville), Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a 2-story 19th-century wood-frame structure with clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
ing. The plan is rectangular, with a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof, interior chimneys, wrap-around hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
ed porch with decorative brackets, and center door with side lights and transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
. There is a -story southeast wing, which is a replacement constructed in the 1980s. The original structure was built as a middle-class plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
home in 1852. In the late 1960s, the Surratt House building was donated to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland.-History:...
(M-NCPPC) by long time Clinton residents, Mr and Mrs. B.K. Miller. The house was restored in 1976 by the M-NCPPC.
The home was owned by Mary Surratt
Mary Surratt
Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H...
, who was convicted and hanged for complicity in plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. It also served as an arms and ammunition stop for John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
during his flight from Ford’s Theater
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
after shooting Lincoln.
The Surratt House Museum is a museum located at the historic site and operated by the Surratt Society. It is devoted to mid-19th century Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
life and the Abraham Lincoln assassination
Abraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
, especially related conspiracy theories. The James O. Hall
James O. Hall
James O. Hall was an amateur historian who specialized in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He was widely regarded as one of the top experts on this matter, and is noted for having discovered a letter by John Wilkes Booth, written on the morning of the murder, in which Booth attempted to...
Research Center is located there.
The Surratt House Museum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973.
External links
- Surratt House, Prince George's County, Inventory No.: PG:81A-7, including photo in 1987, at Maryland Historical Trust website
- Surratt House Museum
- M-NCPPC Inventory of Historic Sites (Prince George's County); Mary Surratt House, entry 81A-007, p. 151