Mary Surratt's Boarding House
Five of her judges asked for mercy. Two men gave opposite accounts of what became of the letter.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
"Kept the nest that hatched the egg." By one man's account, President Andrew Johnson said that about Mary Surratt as he signed the order to hang her. The man was Joseph Holt, the Army's chief legal officer, and much depends on whether you believe him. Surratt was a widow who ran this boarding house. It is still here, with a small plaque by the door. John Wilkes Booth came here many times in the months before he shot Lincoln.
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
604 H Street NW, Chinatown. Look at it from the sidewalk; the upper floors are private and the ground floor is a business, so check it is open if you want to go in.
Sources
- ABA Journal: July 7, 1865, Lincoln assassination co-conspirators hanged
- Wikipedia: Mary Surratt
- Susan Higginbotham: July 6-7, 1865
- District Fray: Sing karaoke, eat Chinese food in the building where Lincoln's assassination was plotted
- American Heritage, Fall 2008: She Kept the Nest, review of Larson's The Assassin's Accomplice
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