The Dr. Mudd House

Dr. Samuel Mudd

Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd was a farmer and practicing physician during the Civil War. He was a Confederate sympathizer and member of the Confederate underground.

He lived in Waldorf near Bryantown, Maryland with his wife and children. His farm was 30 miles south of Washington, D.C.

He was accused and convicted of being a part of John Wilkes Booth’s conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.

Dr. Mudd met Booth three times in 1864--twice in Bryantown and once in Washington-- before Booth murdered Lincoln. At his trial, the doctor stated Booth was just a casual acquaintance.

After Booth shot Lincoln he broke his left leg as he leaped from Lincoln’s box to the stage at Ford’s Theatre.

Needing a doctor’s assistance, Booth and David Herold showed up at Dr. Mudd’s house at 4:00 a.m.

Mudd Farmhouse

The doctor stated at his military trial that he did not recognize Booth. He told the tribunal that when Booth and Herold arrived they gave the names of “Tyson” and “Henston.”

Dr. Mudd set and splintered Booth’s broken leg.

He stated he did not know about the assassination until he went to Bryantown to do an errand for his wife--Booth was still recovering in an upstairs bedroom of his home at the time.

Booth and Herold stayed at the doctor’s home for approximately 12 hours, paid him $12 for his services and then headed into the nearby Zekiah Swamp.

Shortly after this Dr. Mudd was arrested and charged with conspiracy for harboring Booth and Herold as they escaped.

Mudd was tried with 6 other men and 1 woman--Mary Surratt whose story I share here.

He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. He missed the death penalty by 1 vote.

Fort Jefferson prison

He was imprisoned at Ft. Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas located 70 miles from Key West, Florida.

In the summer of 1867, Yellow Fever broke out. The prison physician died. Dr. Mudd took over--he came down with the fever himself but recovered.

Because of his efforts all the decommissioned officers and soldiers signed a petition on his behalf.

President Andrew Johnson pardoned him in February of 1869. He returned home and continued his medical practice.

He died of pneumonia in January of 1883 after walking through the cold and snow to attend to a patient.

Dr. Mudd had 9 children and his descendants for many years worked tirelessly to clear his name. Historians today still debate whether he was innocent or guilty.

One compelling argument that he was guilty can be read here.

The results of an impressive “mock trial” that found him innocent can be read in the New York Times here.

Haunted Farmhouse

Today the Mudd farmhouse is run as a private museum. Several witnesses claim the house is haunted.

One author, Mike Ricksecker who wrote about this haunting in his book Haunted Maryland captured some interesting photos.

Danny Fluhart president of the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Society told Ricksecker that no one is supposed to touch the bed that Booth stayed in on the 2^nd floor.

Despite this rule, the staff is often frustrated to find they have to re-straighten it because the bed is mussed when they return to the museum in the morning. A distinct human-shaped impression is always discovered.

Bed Booth stayed in.
Click to enlarge

Ricksecker was in the home with Fluhart one Monday, when the museum was closed, they discovered the bed in this state and were able to take pictures.

The following video has staff and a Civil War reenactor talking about their encounters with a variety of paranormal activity at the farm. This video begins and ends with one group’s EVP sessions at this old farmhouse.

Haunted Springer Opera House

Edwin Booth, the older brother of John Wilkes-Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, is said to be the ghost that haunts Springer Opera House in Columbus, Georgia. 

As legend states he promised that after his death, he would return and haunt the Springer. He stated it must stage a performance of “Hamlet” once again. According to some, he made good on this promise for many claims his ghost has haunted the opera house ever since his death in 1893.

Witnesses state his ghost is sometimes restless, other times helpful, and at other times roguish.

Edwin Booth was a famous Shakespearean actor in the 19^th century who toured throughout America and the major capitals of Europe. *  He performed first with his famous father, who was also an actor, in Richard II, when he was sixteen years old. 

His infamous brother John Wilkes-Booth was also an actor. The three appeared in one play together.

Edwin was a Unionist, so he and his younger brother did not get along. When John shot and killed Abraham Lincoln, in 1865, the entire Booth family had to go into seclusion. 

Edwin in 1869 did petition President Andrew Johnson for his brothers’ remains so they could be buried in the family plot, but for the rest of his life he disowned his brother and would not even speak his name.

It wasn’t until several months after Edwin was forced into seclusion in 1866 that he ventured upon the stage again. When he did, he played “Hamlet” which eventually became his signature role. 

When he appeared at the Springer Opera House, he played his now-famous role as Hamlet. Georgia welcomed him with open arms, which some say is one reason he returned to the opera house after his death.

In an ironic turn of fate Edwin Booth actually saved the life of one of Lincoln’s sons, Robert Todd Lincoln, in early 1864 ** just months before his younger brother shot and killed Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre. 

The incident happened at a train platform in Jersey City, New Jersey. The platform was crowded, and Robert Todd Lincoln was pressed against a rail car. As the train moved without warning, Edwin Booth saw Robert lose his footing and drop down in a space between two train cars where he lost his balance and couldn’t move. 

Booth quickly hauled Robert back up to the platform by his coat collar. If Edwin had not reacted so fast, Robert Lincoln would have been crushed to death.

As the story goes, Robert recognized the famous actor immediately and thanked him by name. Another ironic twist is Edwin Booth didn’t know the identity of the male he saved until months after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln when a friend told him the man was Lincoln’s son Robert. 

This news is said to have given him some comfort but he never came to terms with the fact that his brother had murdered Abraham Lincoln.

The presence of Edwin Booth’s ghost is often felt and sometimes seen at the Springer Opera House. 

One tour guide has reported a phenomenon that many have witnessed. The smaller upper balconies are no longer used because they are considered a fire hazard, so the doors to these seats remain shut, but many have reported seeing all these doors open as they enter the main hall. 

Several workers state that if they are in the opera house alone, they almost always hear strange unexplained noises.

A small group of people one night stood near the portrait of Edwin Booth that hangs near the lobby. As they were talking about his ghost, they were facing the bar that serves refreshments to the theatre’s patrons. Without warning, they saw one of three wine bottles that were sitting on the bar tip over without cause and roll down the flat surface.

One annoying thing that Booth’s ghost does is to tap people on the shoulder—when they turn, no one is there.

A female that works in the costume shop stated that the dress forms they hang the costumes on were found scattered around the room, but when she turned around, these forms were all lined up in a straight row. 

Edwin’s ghost is known to be partial to ladies. They encounter him more often than men. Another female employee went outside to where there is a table and chairs where the workers often unwind and relax after shows. 

She was alone, so she was surprised to see a figure of a man wearing a hat sitting in one of the chairs, she stated, “Oh, is there someone here?” But as she approached, the figure disappeared.

Yet another female employee at the Springer has had many encounters with Booth’s ghost. This witness, for many years, was the costume designer at the Springer. 

One night she was searching the theatre’s costume loft over and over, trying to find a specific coat. Finally, giving up and frustrated, she stated out loud, “Where is that large man’s evening jacket?” 

She walked down the aisle to leave and turned when she heard a noise. To her surprise, a piece of clothing was on the floor in the middle of the corridor she had passed. She picked up the piece and realized it was the jacket she had been looking for.

After this initial incident, she found that all she had to do was announce I need that pair of shoes, or I need that belt, and the exact item would be lying on the floor when she returned to the costume loft. 

Because of this, she is convinced that Edwin Booth was helping her.

* From 1863 until 1867 Booth managed the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City, when this theatre was damaged in a fire he built his own theatre, Booth’s Theatre, in Manhattan. In 1888 Booth founded the Players’ Club for actors and other artists.

** Some historians state the incident at the Jersey City platform happened in late 1863 instead of early 1864. 

The Ghost of Mary Surratt

Mary Surratt was the first woman to be executed by the American Federal government. She was hanged on July 7, 1865 accused of participating in a plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Mary went to her grave proclaiming her innocence.

Mary just like most women of the time dreamed of a good life with a husband and children. She was a devout catholic. When she married John Surratt in 1840 she requested he convert to Roman Catholicism. 

They and their three children lived in Maryland. John had inherited land and money from his family but he and his wife were not happy. Mary discovered her husband’s unfaithfulness when another woman charged him with a paternity suit. After this things went from bad to worse in their marriage.

Not liking his wife’s religious ways John drank more and more and he often failed to pay his debts. As time went by his temper became more volatile. 

He built a tavern and inn on 200 acres that became known as Surrattsville—today it is Clinton, Maryland. Like many wealthy families of the time the Surratts owned slaves. John became postmaster and Mary was active in the local church fund.

Lonely and at her wits end Mary formed a close bond with the local priest. It was rumored they were having an affair and the priest was sent away. Mary continued to correspond with him. 

John bitter about Mary’s attachment to him cruelly suggested she should also service the customers that stayed at their inn. John’s debts continued to mount and his drinking worsened.

John Jr.

When the Civil war began in 1861, Maryland a border state remained apart of the Union—the northern side. But Mary and John were southern sympathizers so their tavern and inn became a safe house for fellow sympathizers and Confederate spies. 

John Jr. their youngest son became a courier for the Confederates moving messages, cash and contraband back and forth across enemy lines. Their oldest son Isaac moved to Texas and enlisted in the Confederate army.

Townhouse on H Street

Mary’s husband died in 1862 from a stroke. He left the family in serious financial difficulty. Both John Jr. and Ann, their daughter, moved in to help Mary with the farm and business. 

John Jr. was appointed postmaster of Surrattsville but he was dismissed in 1863 for disloyalty to the Union. 

In the fall of 1864 Mary weary of running the farm and business, compounded with the fact that several of their slaves had run off decided to move her family to a townhouse her husband had purchased years before, on H Street in Washington D.C. Mary took in boarders, and the townhouse quickly became a center for John Jr’s covert activities.

It was here Mary met John Wilkes Booth. He was handsome, a successful actor, and charming. Mary was flattered by the attentions he paid her. Booth a natural leader and master manipulator quickly viewed the Surratt family as a means to an end. He emotionally seduced Mary, a much older woman than himself, and gained the trust of John Jr.

Booth drew John Jr. deeper into his conspiracies and he arranged to have John Jr. store two guns and a box of cartridges at the families’ Surrattsville Inn. Mary was not informed about these guns. 

On April 14, 1865, the day Booth shot and killed Lincoln Mary naively made a short trip to Surrattsville to collect overdo rent from her tenet John Lloyd yet another southern sympathizer. She also delivered a wrapped package given to her by Booth. Later it was revealed this package contained Booth’s field glasses.

Booth in his escape briefly stopped at the inn in Surrattsville to collect the guns that he would need to fight off his pursuers. Booth was found and shot. John Jr. hearing of his death fled the country. 

Mary was arrested for conspiring to murder Lincoln and was tried in front of a military tribunal—without a jury. She was presumed guilty until proven innocent.

Mary at Military Tribunal

John Lloyd afraid he might be implicated pointed the finger at Mary. It was his testimony that Mary had warned him to get “the shooting irons ready” that convinced the tribunal to convict Mary. 

The irony here is Lloyd during his testimony stated he was not sure Mary had actually said this to him. 

It was also established that when Booth visited the H Street townhouse he most often requested to see John Jr. not Mary. 

Another irony is most of the evidence presented by the prosecutor was circumstantial so if she had been tried in a civilian court this evidence would have been thrown out.

Gallows

Many historians today believe Mary Surratt was not apart of the conspiracy to murder Lincoln. She just trusted the wrong man. 

In fact, when John Jr. was captured and returned to the states two years later the jury at his trial acquitted him for lack of evidence. 

Some state Mary was hanged to satisfy the Union’s need to revenge the death of a most beloved president. In her last confession to her priest she simply stated, “Father I am innocent.”

Mary’s ghost is present in two locations today. 

The inn in Surrattsville is a museum today. The director and many others have heard doors shutting and footsteps etc. without logical explanation. The other place Mary haunts is the Washington Penitentiary where she was held and tried. Today it is quarters for officers and their families—when they move in they are warned of the ghost that resides there. 

The second floor apartment where Mary’s cell was located is very active. People sense a woman at the window looking down on the tennis courts were once Mary’s gallows stood. Some hear a woman’s distress calls in the apartment. Others sense a deep disappointment and sadness in its rooms. Mary does not rest in peace.

Today the question of Mary’s guilt or innocence is still in question but many feel she did not deserve the hanging rope.