I am visiting my family here in Illinois and decided to use the opportunity to make use of the newly updated Lincoln assassination maps here on BoothieBarn. I planned and executed a two day excursion to visit some of the sites on the Lincoln Assassination in the Midwest map. The following is an overview of my trip composed using the tweets I sent out en route along with a couple of short videos I made.
After leaving Chicagoland, we headed straight to Keokuk, Iowa, a bit over 4 hours drive. There, we did what we do best, look for a grave.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
In the rain we trudged through Keokuk's Oakland Cemetery, looking for the grave of Mark Gray Lyons, who tried to shoot #EdwinBooth in 1879.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
We weren't sure if Mark Gray Lyons had a marker but luckily for us his name was on a fallen family stone. #EdwinBooth pic.twitter.com/vQ1ELHV5nQ
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
Here's the grave of Mark Gray Lyons, the attempted assassin of #EdwinBooth: pic.twitter.com/QyRFkzLwW5
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
You can read more about the dramatic encounter between #EdwinBooth and Mark Gray Lyons here: http://t.co/eLQWcT14cn
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
From Keokuk, we then drove south about an hour to Quincy, IL to visit the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County (@HSQAC).
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
Detailed interpretative panels discuss Lincoln's relationship to the community of Quincy and Adams County. @HSQAC pic.twitter.com/hwI2I6wgu7
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
Our purpose for visiting the @HSQAC was to see their unique collection of relics concerning the imprisonment of the Lincoln conspirators.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
The @HSQAC has 3 keys from the Old Capitol Prison and the Old Arsenal Penitentiary which held the conspirators. pic.twitter.com/EFOt3WCX2W
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
The @HSQAC also has a pair of Lilly irons, which is reported to have been worn by conspirator #GeorgeAtzerodt. pic.twitter.com/pR2dmv9CsF
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
But, the centerpiece of the @HSQAC's assassination display is the padded hood worn by conspirator #LewisPowell. pic.twitter.com/vXfk5O8HbJ
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
All of the conspirators, except #MarySurratt and #DrMudd, had to endure hoods like this. pic.twitter.com/dZmpsZZQ70
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
From May 1st to June 10th, the conspirators wore these suffocating hoods except when in the courtroom. pic.twitter.com/3j9PwVgNTa
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
Once, the conspirators entered the courtroom hooded but the judges were very disturbed by this and ordered the hoods always removed before.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
The conspirators still had to wear them while in their cells. Even when eating. pic.twitter.com/gctze4bGXT
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
The @HSQAC tries to answer the question of how they got #LewisPowell's hood and other items, though they don't know: pic.twitter.com/mgq8OxJRPC
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
It was very cool to see this hood in person and definitely worth visiting the @HSQAC to see it. pic.twitter.com/58z4HD7zIv
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
You can read more about the padded hoods worn by the Lincoln conspirators here: http://t.co/OCJhE51NaH
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
Currently we're driving across Missouri, retracing, backwards, the train route #JohnWilkesBooth wanted to take when he was snowbound in '64.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
Our next stop is a cemetery in Kansas where we will pay our respects to a generous colleague and friend, Art Loux. pic.twitter.com/m4iLO03v7P
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 8, 2015
Art passed away in 2013, right after receiving a contract to publish his life's work, #JohnWilkesBooth: Day by Day. pic.twitter.com/kNi4RotpRL
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Art is buried in Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Overland Park, Kansas. pic.twitter.com/PjFn4rEYnJ
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Art was a generous man who shared his research with everyone, even this scrappy young Boothie. http://t.co/G4b7DaBGBx pic.twitter.com/yOYz08MXcU
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
From Overland Park, KS we then drove three and a half hours to Aurora, KS just southeast of Concordia. Here we visited a hole in the ground.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Way out in the middle of nowhere, off of Key Rd. in Aurora, KS, is the site of Boston Corbett's dugout home. pic.twitter.com/CAUT3gA1wp
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Boston Corbett is the slayer of #JohnWilkesBooth and later moved to Cloud County, KS. He lived in this dugout home: pic.twitter.com/bbTuCccBgK
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Here's the plaque on the Boston Corbett monument. pic.twitter.com/yEaetuitGR
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Dugouts were common homes in the prairie states where lumber was scarce. pic.twitter.com/GZFY9aI6Sb
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
So if you're ever driving through Kansas, make a stopover at the site of Boston Corbett's dugout. pic.twitter.com/HeNx7VG5mu
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
.@kansashistory's museum in Topeka is very large and does a wonderful job of teaching Kansas history and its ongoing impact on our nation.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
.@kansashistory owns this bloodstained piece of playbill from @fordstheatre. pic.twitter.com/khE467Dh0R
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
The man who gave the playbill to @kansashistory was at @fordstheatre the night of Lincoln's assassination. pic.twitter.com/1HyARPreQW
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
He made photographic souvenirs of the playbill then donated the piece to @kansashistory. pic.twitter.com/pmx0Fzm2UQ
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
It is a genuine @fordstheatre playbill from the assassination and the stains are said to be Lincoln's blood. pic.twitter.com/lwCcX4sAwp
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Another item in the collection of the @kansashistory is this mirror which belonged to Boston Corbett. pic.twitter.com/Ft7kGgvKjj
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
.@kansashistory also has Boston Corbett's gun belt and cartridge box, which are on display. pic.twitter.com/Zgna9wR0Fz
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Here are some more shots of Boston Corbett's belt and cartridge box at @kansashistory. pic.twitter.com/u2zvIsFoBb
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
You can look through @kansashistory's collection of Boston Corbett's papers by searching here: http://t.co/hF9R3Rk824 pic.twitter.com/0vBgy37BLB
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
This is a piece of the scaffold that executed #MarySurratt, #LewisPowell, #DavidHerold, and #GeorgeAtzerodt on 7/7/65 pic.twitter.com/1xf52mHAjs
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
In 1885, a secretary of the KSHS heard the lumber from the scaffold was being stored in a warehouse in D.C. pic.twitter.com/jr28EbjdNA
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
A sympathetic soldier who had been stationed at Fort Leavenworth assisted her in getting a piece for the collection. pic.twitter.com/i5xX0mrcfE
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Author and execution photo expert, Barry Cauchon, verified this piece came from the gallows. pic.twitter.com/P3jdt5qUV4
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
This is a piece of the top crossbar from which the nooses were tied, close to #MarySurratt's end. pic.twitter.com/B4IZyyw2ne
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
This hole, chiseled and drilled into the wood, is where the vertical strut went into the crossbar. pic.twitter.com/dzRiteqvXy
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Once a label had been pinned to the piece of scaffold with this tack, now stuck. Ironically it says "President". pic.twitter.com/lvmUlkIOpk
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
The piece is 35.5 inches long and has been on display at @kansashistory for exhibits on Lincoln and others. pic.twitter.com/tbOsGZzXXp
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
In January of 1864, #JohnWilkesBooth was trapped in St. Joseph due to a huge snow storm. You can read about it here: http://t.co/MRALSjXke4
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
This parking lot was once the site of the Pacific House Hotel where #JohnWilkesBooth stayed. pic.twitter.com/dBKDtn32F0
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
This grassy space was Corby's Hall where #JohnWilkesBooth gave dramatic readings while trapped here. pic.twitter.com/H3FhA8EVUw
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
60 miles east of St. Joseph is the small town of Breckenridge. #JohnWilkesBooth made it here by sled in 1864. pic.twitter.com/KX6cvwF6cn
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
The track is gone but in 1864 #JohnWilkesBooth caught a Breckenridge train here since all lines west were snowed in. pic.twitter.com/JzbiXgaZSl
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Our last stop before heading home was a cemetery in the rural town of Oneida, IL. pic.twitter.com/QKdxZQzCIA
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Buried in Oneida Cemetery is Col. David Ramsey Clendenin. pic.twitter.com/8e5sPl83Wx
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
In 1865, Lieutenant Colonel Clendenin was selected to serve as one of the military commission members for the trial of the conspirators.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
Clendenin was one of the 4 commission members who did NOT sign the clemency plea for #MarySurratt. pic.twitter.com/tWgfOYwyZV
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
So far, none of the commissioners I've visited (Lew Wallace, Albion Howe, Clendenin) signed #MarySurratt's clemency plea. 5 out of 9 did.
— Dave (@BoothieBarn) July 9, 2015
While the trip mainly consisted of two long days of driving, I enjoyed myself and it was a lot of fun to see so many Lincoln assassination places, graves, and artifacts all at once. Thank you to the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, Mr. Blair Tarr, curator of the Kansas State Historical Society Museum, Nikaela Zimmerman, Barry Cauchon, and Steve Miller for all your help in making this trip possible. Also, thank you to my parents for letting me use (and put a considerable number of miles on) their car.
Now you all get out there, take your own assassination vacation, and tell me about it in the comments below!
LincolnConspirators.com 
Amazing hoods. Thanks, Dave and Kate
The Quincy Historical Society only has the one padded hood Kathy, but it was cool to see. The Chicago History Museum also has a padded hood and the Smithsonian has the regularly hoods the conspirators wore.
Fantastic trip and pictures, guys! You continue to outdo yourself/selves! Great to see the crossbeam from so many diff’t angles and close-ups.The Corbett items are great, too! As for JWB and the snowstorm, please cite for us when you get a chance the date of the letter in which JWB wrote about that storm. Do you have the text of the “Beautiful Snow” poem? I vaguely recollect that you quoted it in a previous “issue.” I have an old book of poems containing it, and it’s also the book’s title.
Richard,
I’m glad you enjoyed our road trip.
John Wilkes Booth wrote his letter to Moses Kimball about the loss of his flask in a snowstorm on January 2, 1864.
Here is the post I died about “Beautiful Snow”: http://boothiebarn.com/2012/12/24/beautiful-snow/
Dave
Great photos and post Dave!
(PS: When will you set off to explore the sites on your international map?)
Thanks, Carolyn! Next time we’ll drive to California to visit you. We can crash on your couch right?
Hope you are not allergic to dogs! 🙂
I emailed you a link to my photos from my Cal State Northridge trip. Edwin Booth Family collection is located at the Oviatt Library.
Oh BTW, I recently acquired another Mary Devlin broadside dated June 11, 1858, and she plays Anne Boleyn in Henry VIII. Woohoo!
Amazing, Dave and Kate!! Thanks so very, very much for allowing us to go along with you – Love it all – especially the hoods and the hanging beam! How lucky you are to be able to see that!
Thank you, Betty. Kate and I are just trying to make you originally Boothies proud.
What a joy it always is to read your blogs. The photography, always contains details that we “Assassination” buffs love to explore. I can only imagine all the long hours and many attempts to get the photos just right. Congrats! Thanks for wonderful work. I wish you could see how people love it!
Thank you for your very kind words, Wade. I’m glad you enjoy reading about our adventures as much as we enjoy having them.
Great post, Dave. I especially liked the tombstone of Mark Gray Lyons. Amazing that you found this.
Dr. Watermeier,
I had contacted the Keokuk Public Library a few years ago trying to track down Mark Gray Lyons. They were kind enough to tell me where he was buried but I still had no idea if he was marked in anyway. We were quite lucky to have found him. If you would like any additional pictures of his grave, just let me know and I can email them to you.
I’m very much looking forward to the release of your book, “American Tragedian: The Life of Edwin Booth” later this month. Everyone should pre-order it now: http://www.amazon.com/American-Tragedian-Life-Edwin-Booth/dp/0826220487
Best,
Dave
Great stuff here Dave and Kate. I feel like I was along on the journey! Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Rick. Twitter has become a very handy tool for me to use when on the go. I’m glad you liked it.
So fantastic, your trip, and great photos!!!
Thank you, Eva. Kate and I would love to come to go abroad and explore some of the assassination sites Europe has to offer, but that probably won’t happen anytime soon. When someday it does, though, we expect a thorough tour of the Germany related sites from you! 🙂
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