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
Pingback: New Gallery – Baptist Alley « BoothieBarn
Most of your pictures show the alley directly behind the theatre rear wall. The others show the “L” turn to the street. Which one is “Baptist Alley”? Or are both of them considered to be the alley. I Have always been unsure of this. (Incidentally, the bottom right drawing, from Olzweski’s Historic Structures report, shows a staircase behind the adjacent building, which housed the box office and the Ford brothers’ offices.
I’d like to bring up another subject, if I may. I am sorry I don’t recall if you’ve ever written about this, Dave.) Many students of the case believe that this was the second of the three phases of Laura Keene’s route from the stage to the Presidential box after the assassination, in order to avoid most (not all) of the panic-stricken crowd. Actor Robert Gourlay was familiar with the theatre; Laura wasn’t. He took her to the box via this route. (Maybe his name was Thomas; I forget as I write this!) Anyway, phase one of this trip to the box was to cross the stage to a corridor located behind the box, seperating the theatre from this adjoining building. Phase two was to go outside through the door at the end of the corridor (seen in the Historic Structures picture). And phase three was to go inside the adjoining building to the second floor and then enter the theatre through doors on the same level as the Presidential box. Art Loux and I first traversed this route many years ago to see if it was possible — it was. (The staircase is now INSIDE the restored building, rather than being OUTSIDE.) When I gave a talk at Ford’s Theatre about actress Jeannie Gourlay, I showed the audience how this could have been quickly accomplished. I presented a Gourlay descendant to the audience. On my cue, she left the stage by going behind the box. A few moments later she re-appeared at the entrance to the box.
When I was putting the gallery together, Richard, I too was wondering if the term Baptist Alley only applied to one of these streets. That probably was the case with either the alley directly behind Ford’s, parallel to 10th St., or the alleyway that runs perpendicular into Ford’s, parallel to F street, being the true “Baptist Alley”. It is doubtful that the alley that exits out onto F that Booth exited from would have been named Baptist Alley. Nowadays though, we seem to call all of those alleys back there Baptist Alley.
This was a long discussion a while ago, Richard and that was the conclusion. However, was there another door besides the one behind the dress circle that led into the second floor of the southern addition? I think the consensus was it was the only door.
thanks for the post. When I was in DC in 2003 went to Ford’s theater and the theater was closed. Walked to Baptist Alley and talked with the Park District rangers. One of the Rangers let me enter the back door that Booth exited. I got to see the theater from a different perspective. The Ranger said ” you got to see a part of Ford’s theater that 99% of the visitors do not. To this day it was exciting to think I was in the door way that Booth escaped. Thanks again for the pictures.
That’s very cool, Richard. My question to you is, did you take any pictures that you’d be willing to share?
I did not; the only picture is in my memory bank.
Pingback: New Galleries – The Assassination « BoothieBarn
I don’t think there was another door or set of doors behind the Dress Circle that led to the adj. bldg. There certainly isn;t one today. I see no reason why there would have been the need for another one. I think the Interior Dept. got it right when they only reconstructed one set of doors there.
SO EXACTLY WHERE WAS BOOTH’S STABLE, DAVE (AND EVERYONE ELSE)? As you look at the rear wall of the theatre, wasn’t it on the right?. DO we have any photos of it? I have a wire service photo allegedly of the structure that was the stable for the horse, and it appears to be on the right as you look at the theatre’s rear wall.Not sure if that’s accurate, tho.
Pingback: John Wilkes Booth’s Movements at Ford’s Theatre | BoothieBarn