Surratt House Museum significant event assassination of Abraham Lincoln
The Surratt House (also known as the Mary Surratt House and the Surratt House Museum) is a  historic house and house museum located at 9110 Brandywine Road in Clinton (formerly Surrattsville), Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The house is named for John and Mary Surratt, who built it in 1852.  Mary Surratt was hanged in 1865 for being a co-conspirator in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. It was acquired by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in 1965, restored, and opened to the public as a museum in 1976.House's role in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
John Surratt collapsed suddenly and died on either August 25 or August 26 in 1862 (sources differ as to the date). The cause of death was a stroke. Mary Surratt struggled with running the farm, tavern, and other businesses without the help of her son, John Surratt Jr. In the fall of 1864, she began considering moving to her townhouse at 541 H Street in Washington, D.C. which her husband obtained on December 6, 1853 On October 1, 1864, Mary Surratt took possession of the D.C. townhouse.As part of a plot to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln in March 1865, John Surratt Jr.; his friend, George Atzerodt; and co-conspirator David Herold hid two Spencer carbines, ammunition, and some other supplies at the Surratt tavern in Surrattsville. On April 11, Mary Surratt rented a carriage and drove to her Maryland tavern. She said she made the trip to collect a debt owed her by a former neighbor. But according to her tenant, John Lloyd, Surratt told him to get the "shooting irons" ready to be picked up. On April 14, Mary Surratt said she would once again visit the family tavern in Surrattsville to collect a debt. Shortly before she left the city, John Wilkes Booth visited the Surratt townhouse and spoke privately with her. He gave her a package (later found to contain binoculars) to give to Lloyd for pick-up later that evening. Surratt delivered the package that afternoon, and (according to Lloyd) again told Lloyd to have the "shooting irons" ready for pick-up.Booth and Herold stopped at the Surratt house briefly, picking up the rifles and binoculars, on their flight out of the District of Columbia after assassinating Lincoln.Surratt was sentenced to death on June 30, 1865, for being a co-conspirator in the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. She was hanged on July 7, 1865, at about 1:31 P.M.Museum
The house was confiscated by the federal government after Mary Surratt's conviction. It was later sold, and was privately owned until 1965.  In 1939, when owned by Mrs. Ella Curtin, the structure suffered light damage in a fire.On February 24, 1965, the Surratt House was donated to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) by B. K. Miller, a longtime Clinton merchant, and his son, Thomas V. Miller. The plan at the time was to move the house to the Clinton Regional Park (now Louise F. Cosca Regional Park), but that did not happen.  In 1968, the M-NCPPC paid roughly $76,000 to purchase a 1 acre (0.40 ha) plot of land beneath the house.  The following year, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development provided the M-NCPPC a $38,115 grant to help pay for the land purchase.The Surratt House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The house was restored by the M-NCPPC, and the restoration completed on October 2, 1975.Citizens interested in Mary Surratt formed the Surratt Society in 1975. The Surrattsville tavern and house are a historical site run today by the Surratt Society. It is devoted to mid-19th century Maryland life and the Abraham Lincoln assassination, especially to conspiracy theories surrounding the Lincoln assassination which tend to exonerate Mrs. Surratt. Some of the furniture and decorative artworks in the house are originals owned by Mary Surratt. The James O. Hall Research Center is located there.A modern private home next to the Surratt House was acquired by the M-NCPCC, and serves as a gift shop, research center, and offices.