Want to come heckle BoothieBarn authors Dave Taylor and Kate Ramirez in person? Here are some of our public speaking engagements planned for the future.
Date: Friday, October 6, 2017
Location: Port Tobacco Historic Village Courthouse (Port Tobacco, Maryland)
Time: 6:00 pm
Speech: The Trial of Lizzie Borden
Speaker: Kate Ramirez
Description: For the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco’s First Friday Series, Kate will be taking on the lead role in a mock trial of the famous alleged ax murderess, Lizzie Borden. The event will highlight part of the Borden trial and give context into the crime that swept the country and still fascinates people today. Did Lizzie Borden take an ax and give her parents many whacks? Come and judge for yourself.
Cost: $10.00 per person which goes to the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco. You can purchase tickets here: https://restoreporttobacco.wordpress.com/societys-calendar/events/
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2017
Location: Port Tobacco Historic Village Courthouse (Port Tobacco, Maryland)
Time: 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
Speech: “The Return of Olivia Floyd”
Speaker: Kate Ramirez
Description: Olivia Floyd was a famous Confederate spy during the Civil War. Guests to Port Tobacco Historic Village Attendees will have two opportunities on this day to participate in a seance which will bring Olivia Floyd to life. The seances will occur in the Port Tobacco Courthouse.
Cost: Free
Date: Sunday, October 8, 2017
Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)
Time: 2:00 pm
Speech: “A Long Look Backward”: From the Pen of Asia Booth
Speaker: Kate Ramirez
Description: Asia Booth was the chronicler of the Booth family’s greatest triumphs and their most heart breaking failures. In her speech, Kate will look more into Asia Booth and her myriad of writings. More information can be found at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.html
Cost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall
Date: Friday, November 3, 2017
Location: Port Tobacco Historic Village Courthouse (Port Tobacco, Maryland)
Time: 6:00 pm
Speech: “My Dearest Darling”: The Letters of Sarah and Dr. Samuel Mudd
Speaker: Kate Ramirez
Description: On June 30, 1865, Dr. Samuel Mudd was found guilty of having aided the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On July 24th, he arrived at Fort Jefferson, an island prison 70 miles from Key West, Florida. In the nearly four years Dr. Mudd spent on the island, stalked by controversy and plagued by a life threatening epidemic, he sent dozens of letters to his wife, Sarah. In this presentation, Kate and fellow Mudd house docent Bob Bowser will portray Sarah and Samuel Mudd in a show that will reveal a family’s tragedy, a struggle for survival, and the triumph of love against unbeatable odds.
Cost: Free
Date: Saturday, November 11, 2017
Location: Surratt House Museum (9118 Brandywine Road, Clinton, MD 20735)
Time: 2:00 pm
Speech: The Death of Abraham Lincoln: Reactions from a Divided Nation
Speaker: Dave Taylor
Description: The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was an unprecedented event in American history. From coast to coast, the dramatic news resonated deeply with people from all walks of life. Many cried for their fallen leader, while others privately condoned his death. The differing reactions to Lincoln’s assassination paint a vivid picture of how a divided nation mourns.
Cost: Free
Dates: Saturday(s) in April, 2018
Location: Surratt House Museum (9118 Brandywine Road, Clinton, MD 20735)
Time: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Speech: John Wilkes Booth Escape Route Bus Tour
Speaker: Dave Taylor
Description: The 12 hour bus trip which documents the escape of the assassin through Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Cost: $85. Registration information can be found at: http://www.surrattmuseum.org/booth-escape-tour
Additional speeches and information will be posted when available. Past speaking engagements can be seen here: https://boothiebarn.com/about/
If you are interested in having either Dave or Kate speak to your group about any aspect of the Lincoln assassination story, click to Contact Us or email to BoothieBarn@gmail.com
Great find, Dave.
Pretty cool Dave.
Did you arrange to meet Ed Steers? He lives just outside the heart of downtown. Check my history, but I think the Berkeley Castle was built by a native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and finally, make sure you eat crab cakes at Tari’s — some of the best I have ever had, and that’s coming from a Southern Marylander. In the summer, there’s a great place for homemade ice cream.
We’re actually at Tari’s right now Laurie. We already ordered though and didn’t get the crab cakes. Next time. Also I didn’t know Dr. Steers lived here. Had I know we certainly would have invited him and his wife to dinner. Again, next time.
Right after you told me this, Laurie, I knew you were right. Not only did the Berkeley Springs bookstore have this signed Mudd book, but also Ed Steers’ His Name is Still Mudd. You can’t find that book in most places anymore so it makes perfect sense that it would still be in his local bookstore. They also had the Assassination Encyclopedia and Blood on the Moon, too.
In 1980, when my wife and I visited the Mudd home, I purchased a copy of Nettie’s book. It is signed by 12 grandchildren beginning with Christine Mudd Clementa and ending with Dr. Richard D. Mudd. The edition I have has a brown cover. After purchasing the book we embarked on a pleasant tour narrated by Louise Mudd Arehart. Near the end of the tour I mentioned I was an American history teacher who conducted a yearly mock trial with my students. I noted that some of the students questioned the beard story, and that I also had my suspicions. This was not said in a belligerent manner; rather I was simply interested in hearing the family’s side of the story. In my own mind, I meant no harm. However, the result of bringing up the topic was an abrupt end to the tour. We were firmly and briskly led out the door. So what had been a pleasant tour ended on a sour note. It is something we’ve never forgotten. My wife, who said nothing and has no interest whatsoever in the Lincoln assassination, still recalls it as clearly as I do.
From what I understand Roger, most folks in the field see being kicked out of the Mudd house as a rite of passage. So wear it like a badge of honor, my friend.
Funny about the abrupt end to Roger’s tour of the Mudd house. The tour my wife and I took ended when I pointed out, in a non-confrontational way, that the photo of “Lincoln” in the little museum was of another bearded man, not Lincoln.
So the lesson seems to be, just nod and smile at the Mudd House. 😛
It may be different there now. When Patty and I visited, the tour was given by Dr. Mudd’s grand-daughter, as astonishing as that sounds. I’m sure that she’s no longer giving tours, if she’s even still with us.
But since she was somewhat testy, I didn’t buy any of her crochet work in the gift shop!!!