John Wilkes Booth: Chasing Lincoln’s Assassin

Follow the escape route of John Wilkes Booth, one of history’s most notorious assassins, as he fled from Washington, D.C., and hid for several days in Southern Maryland before being cornered.
This drive is part of the Great Chesapeake Bay Loop.
66 Miles
Drive Time: 2 Hours
Best Done in 1 - 2 Days
Best for: history lovers
Booth's Escape
Follow the escape route of John Wilkes Booth, one of history’s most notorious assassins, as he fled from Washington, D.C., and hid for several days in Southern Maryland before being cornered.
Follow the escape route of John Wilkes Booth, one of history’s most notorious assassins, as he fled from Washington, D.C., and hid for several days in Southern Maryland before being cornered.
The Civil War was coming to an end and hopes were high that the mending of America could quickly get under way. But on the night of April 14, 1865, thoughts of reconciliation suffered a serious setback. John Wilkes Booth, a Maryland-born actor and proslavery activist shot President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. He then fled into Maryland and eluded Federal troops for nearly two weeks.
Washington, D.C., to Waldorf
30 miles including MD 5 & MD 205 | Directions
Begin your trip at National Harbor. Its urban waterfront luxury experience on the edge of the Potomac River features upscale shops, top-notch dining, luxury accommodations and late-night entertainment. The next day, visit Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. where Booth snuck into the president’s box, shot Lincoln and then leapt dramatically onto the stage, breaking his leg but managing to escape. While the president’s body was moved across the street to Petersen’s Boarding House, Booth fled on horseback over the Navy Yard Bridge to rendezvous with accomplice David Herold.
Follow Booth and Herold to the town of Clinton, where they arrived at a tavern that Mary Surratt operated as a Confederate safe house. Today, the Surratt House Museum tells the tale of her role in the assassination plan and how she became the first woman to be executed by the U.S. government.
As they fled, Booth and Herold would have passed the site of Cedarville State Forest, which today offers camping, hunting and fishing as well as 19 miles of trails through the Civilian Conservation Corps’ loblolly pine plantations, past a charcoal kiln, and along springs and streams that were once used to make moonshine.
With fresh supplies, Booth and Herold quickly made their way to Dr. Samuel A. Mudd’s Waldorf home, now a popular museum stop. The country physician, apparently unaware of his patient’s role in Lincoln’s assassination, treated Booth’s broken leg —an act that would land Mudd in prison.
Continue south and visit St. Mary’s Church and Cemetery, one of many historic places of worship in Southern Maryland that has ties to the institution of slavery. It is Mudd’s final resting place.
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Waldorf to Popes Creek
23.5 miles including US 301 | Directions
Visit the 21-mile-long, half-mile-wide Zekiah Swamp, a protected state wetland area popular among canoeists and birders. Booth and Herold made their way to Rich Hill, home of slaveholder and Southern sympathizer, Samuel Cox, from which an enslaved man, Jack Scroggins, attempted escape in 1862 only to be returned and brutally beaten by Cox. It is one of several sites on this byway on the Underground Railroad in Southern Maryland.
To the west is one of the oldest communities on the East Coast, Port Tobacco. Stop at historic Stagg Hall in Port Tobacco, which offers tours on weekends. The 1766 home witnessed the escape of Phil Brown from his enslaver, Basil Richard Spaulding, in 1835 and is included in the Underground Railroad in Southern Maryland. Next, explore a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site, the Port Tobacco Courthouse and Jail for archaeological finds and to learn about George Atzerodt, a Booth conspirator who was assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson but lost his nerve. The jail site witnessed the imprisonment of many enslaved freedom seekers, earning the moniker, the “Reverse Underground Railroad."
Before continuing your journey, visit St. Ignatius Catholic Church, one of the one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the county. Members of the Jesuit order held men and women in bondage here, some of whom escaped to gain their freedom in the years before the Civil War.
As you leave Port Tobacco take a short drive to Chapel Point State Park on the Port Tobacco River, a tributary of the Potomac River. Stop and enjoy an opportunity to stretch your legs or paddle a Potomac River Water Trail to reflect on the incredible history witnessed by this landscape. Booth and Herold hid along Nanjemoy Creek before fleeing into Virginia. The creek still has plenty of natural charm as a nesting site for bald eagles and fishing hole for boaters who use the Friendship Landing ramp.
Across the Potomac River on April 26, Federal troops caught up with Booth and Herold at a Virginia farm. Herold surrendered, stood trial in Washington, D.C., and was hanged. Refusing to turn himself in, Booth was shot and killed while hiding in a barn. This byway is part of the Great Chesapeake Bay Loop and visits authentic Chesapeake sites.
Keep it Green
As you enjoy the outdoors along the Booth’s Escape Byway, follow "Leave No Trace" practices and respect fishing and hunting seasons, rules and regulations.
Add a stop at Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm, a working farm that offers hands-on activities. Explore the site’s fascinating history including enslaved shoemaker Jacob Shaw’s escape from bondage in 1840. The site is on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
ENJOY EVERY SEASON
ENJOY EVERY SEASON
Spring/Summer
- Attend a commemorative program at Ford’s Theatre during the anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination
- Bike the Indian Head Rail Trail
- Paddle the Potomac River Water Trail starting at Chapel Point State Park
- Ride the Capital Wheel at National Harbor
- Rent Kayaks at National Harbor and paddle the Potomac
- Fish or go birding at Chapel Point State Park
- Photo: Chapel Point State Park
Fall/Winter
- Hike in Cedarville State Forest to enjoy the fall foliage
- Sidetrack to tour Thomas Stone National Historic Site
- Get your “fright on” at the Cornstalkers Trail of Terror near Waldorf
- See the ICE! Display at National Harbor
- Shop at the Kris Kringle Christmas Market in LaPlata
- Photo: National Harbor