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Historic Surratt House has national significance due to its role in the dramatic events surrounding the Lincoln assassination conspiracy and the involvement of Mary Surratt. As you enter the side door of this house, you are walking in the path of John Wilkes Booth the night he killed President Lincoln, since he came here to retrieve a rifle, field glasses and supplies for his run from the law. Mrs. Surratt became the first woman put to death by the United States government for her complicity.

Due to economic hardship, Mary Surratt moved to Washington City (D.C.) to
run a boarding house. This move sealed her fate and placed her in the annals of history. Mary eventually met the actor John Wilkes Booth through her son, John Surratt Jr. The two men became affiliated when plotting to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln.

Kidnapping quickly turned to assassination. Less than a month after the
kidnap plot failed, John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln on April 14,
1865, and within hours of the bullet leaving the chamber, dozens were
arrested, including Mary Surratt.

Mary, along with seven others, was on trial in a military court, where
they were all found guilty. Mrs. Surratt paid the ultimate price by being
one of four who were executed on July 7th 1865, marking her as the first
woman put to death by the US government.

Building History

The house was built in 1852 for John and Mary Surratt. It was more than a family home - the Surratt House was also a tavern, dining room and hotel for people traveling throughout the area.
Outside, there was a large plantation. a livery stable, a blacksmith shop and a post office.
Once the Civil War began, the tavern became a secret safe house for Confederate soldiers.

The Surratt tavern was auctioned off and was subsequently inhabited by different families until 1965. In 1968, work began to preserve the Surratt home, finally opening as a museum on May 1, 1976.

If You Go

At the Surratt House Museum visitors take a guided tour from an
experienced docent in period clothing. You will not only learn of the
dramatic events surrounding the Lincoln assassination, but will learn about
daily life during the mid-19th century.

You can peruse the Surratt House Museum's Visitors' Center and Gift Shop.
The Gift Shop is one of the only places where you can get popular and rare
titles written about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and about the
Civil War.

The James O. Hall Research Center located here has one of the best collections on the Lincoln assassination in the United States. Top authors and researchers from all over the country have utilized the vast collections housed in this library.
The Center is open by appointment only. For more information please
call 301-868-6185 or email: PGP-JOHRC@pgparks.com.

Surratt House Museum Hours: Wednesday thru Friday, 11am-3pm and Saturday thru Sunday, 12 noon- 4pm . The last tour beings one half-hour before closing.

A visit to the Surratt House provides a rare opportunity to walk in the footsteps of history.