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Anacostia in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Booth's Escape

An East-of-the-River View

— Anacostia Heritage Trail —

 
 
Booth's Escape Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2020
1. Booth's Escape Marker
Inscription.
Late On The Night Of April 14, 1865, a guard at the other end of the Navy Yard Bridge allowed a young man on horseback to cross, despite a wartime curfew. Unbeknownst to the guard, the rider, John Wilkes Booth, had just shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. Booth was fleeing to the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd in Prince George's County, Maryland, by way of Good Hope Road.

As details of the assassination arrived at the Anacostia police substation days later, so did a rumor that Booth might be hiding out in the area. Officers commenced a hunt for the fugitive, but he was long gone.

The bridge Booth traveled, the first of many at this site, was built in 1820 to allow residents to reach jobs at the Navy Yard. Before then people used the Eastern Branch Bridge at Pennsylvania Avenue. That structure, which dated to 1797, was blown up in August 1814 as the British marched toward Washington bent on its destruction during the War of 1812. Unfortunately the British succeeded in reaching the capital via Bladensburg Road instead. General William H. Winder, commander of the defenses of Washington and Baltimore, ordered the destruction of the Navy Yard as well, to keep it out of British hands.

This intersection was Anacostia's first commercial center. From here businesses spread east on Good Hope
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Road and south along Nichols Avenue. Among the earliest establishments were Robert Martin's general store and post office, his Farmers' and Drovers' Hotel, David Haines's blacksmith and wheelwright shop, Duvall's Tavern, and George Pyle's grocery. Out Good Hope Road, greenhouses and a brick factory provided local jobs.
 
Erected 2013 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 14.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Anacostia Heritage Trail, and the Booth's Escape series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is April 14, 1865.
 
Location. 38° 52.058′ N, 76° 59.304′ W. Marker is in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Anacostia. Marker is at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast and Good Hope Road Southeast, on the right when traveling north on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1800 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue Southeast, Washington DC 20020, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Neighborhood Oasis (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Rose's Row (about 600 feet away); The Big Chair (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named The Big Chair
Booth's Escape Marker [Reverse] image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2020
2. Booth's Escape Marker [Reverse]
(approx. 0.2 miles away); The World’s Largest Chair (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mother Churches and Their Daughters (approx. 0.2 miles away); Good Times on Good Hope (approx. 0.2 miles away); Armaments & Aircraft (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southeast Washington.
 
Also see . . .  Booth's Escape Byway, Maryland Office of Tourism. (Submitted on August 19, 2019.)
 
Booth's Escape Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 28, 2016
3. Booth's Escape Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,186 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on March 21, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.   3. submitted on January 2, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024