Surratt House Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Surratt House
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Surratt House, Clinton, Maryland
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 Location in Maryland
Location in the United States
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| Location | 9110 Brandywine Road, Clinton, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 73002164 |
| Added to NRHP | March 30, 1973 |
The Surratt House is a historic home and museum located in Clinton, Maryland. It is also known as the Mary Surratt House. John and Mary Surratt built this house in 1852. Mary Surratt was later put to death in 1865. This was because she was believed to be involved in the plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. The house was bought by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in 1965. It was then restored and opened as a museum in 1976.
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Building the Surratt House
The Surratt House was built in 1852. It was a home for a middle-class farm owner. Mary Jenkins and John Harrison Surratt got married in August 1840. They lived in different places before settling down. In 1851, their farmhouse burned down. A former enslaved person was thought to have started the fire.
Within a year, John Surratt bought about 200 acres of farmland. This land was near what is now Clinton. By 1853, he built a tavern and an inn there. Mary Surratt eventually moved into the new home with her children. The area around the tavern was officially named Surrattsville in 1853.
Soon after, a post office was set up inside the tavern. John Surratt became the first postmaster for the area. In 1854, John added a hotel to his tavern. He called it Surratt's Hotel. Over the next few years, John Surratt added many other buildings. These included a carriage house, a general store, and a stable.
The House and Lincoln's Assassination
John Surratt passed away suddenly in August 1862 from a stroke. Mary Surratt found it hard to manage the farm and businesses alone. Her son, John Surratt Jr., was not there to help. In the fall of 1864, she thought about moving to her townhouse in Washington, D.C. She took possession of this townhouse on October 1, 1864.
In March 1865, there was a plan to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln. John Surratt Jr. and his friends, George Atzerodt and David Herold, hid weapons. They hid two Spencer carbines, ammunition, and other supplies at the Surratt tavern.
On April 11, Mary Surratt traveled to her Maryland tavern. She said she went to collect money from a neighbor. But her tenant, John Lloyd, later said that Surratt told him to get the "shooting irons" ready. These were for someone to pick up.
On April 14, Mary Surratt said she would visit the tavern again. Just before she left, John Wilkes Booth visited her D.C. townhouse. He spoke with her privately. Booth gave her a package, which later was found to hold binoculars. He asked her to give it to Lloyd for pick-up later that evening. Surratt delivered the package that afternoon. Lloyd said she again told him to have the "shooting irons" ready.
After assassinating Lincoln, Booth and Herold stopped briefly at the Surratt house. They picked up the rifles and binoculars there. Mary Surratt was found guilty on June 30, 1865. She was believed to be part of the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. She was executed on July 7, 1865.
About the Historic House
The Surratt House is a two-story building made of wood. It is about 40 feet long and 32 feet wide. The house has a gable roof. The front (western side) of the house has five windows on each floor. A small porch with a gabled roof covers the front door. The back (eastern side) of the house looks similar to the front.
Inside, there are fireplaces and chimneys at both ends of the building. A single staircase connects the first and second floors. The outside of the house is covered with clapboard. On the north side, there is a verandah with a shed roof. This porch runs along the entire width of the house.
Between 1853 and 1864, the Surratts added a small, one-and-a-half-story section. This addition was on the south end of the house. It was about 16 feet by 16 feet. This part of the house did not survive. It was rebuilt in the 1980s. This was part of a project to restore the house to how it looked in 1865. The rebuilt addition now has an outside chimney.
Between 1865 and 1965, other owners changed the house. One owner extended the north porch to wrap around the western side. Another owner in the early 1900s removed the porch on the eastern side. They replaced it with a two-story rain porch.
The Surratt House Museum
After Mary Surratt was found guilty, the government took control of the house. It was later sold and privately owned until 1965. In 1939, the house had some light damage from a fire.
On February 24, 1965, the Surratt House was given to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). This gift came from B. K. Miller and his son, Thomas V. Miller. The original idea was to move the house to a park. However, this did not happen. In 1968, the M-NCPPC bought the land under the house. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development helped with a grant in 1969.
The Surratt House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The M-NCPPC restored the house. The restoration was finished on October 2, 1975.
People interested in Mary Surratt formed the Surratt Society in 1975. Today, the Surrattsville tavern and house are a historical site. The Surratt Society runs it. The museum teaches about life in Maryland in the mid-1800s. It also focuses on the Abraham Lincoln assassination. Some of the furniture and art in the house belonged to Mary Surratt. The James O. Hall Research Center is also located there.
A modern house next to the Surratt House was also bought by the M-NCPCC. This building now serves as a gift shop, research center, and offices.
See also
- Mary E. Surratt Boarding House
- St. Catharine (Waldorf, Maryland)
