Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was born in Maryland in 1833, had an unusual role to play in American history. On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. Booth left the theater by jumping from the theater box and fell, breaking his leg.

Nonetheless, he and his co-conspirators rode on horseback for thirty miles until they reached the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set Booth’s leg and allowed him to rest in a family bedroom for several hours to gather the strength for the rest of his journey.

Visitors can take guided tours of the house where Dr. Mudd lived with his wife and nine children, and they can stop by the small gift shop on the premises.

Dr. Mudd House Museum, Dr. Samuel Mudd Road, Waldorf, MD 20601, Phone: 301-274-9358

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