King George in King George County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Belle Grove Plantation

Booth's Pursuer's Close In

— John Wilkes Booth - Chasing Lincoln's Assassin —

Belle Grove Plantation Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark P Brock-Cancellieri, March 1, 2025

1. Belle Grove Plantation Marker

Inscription. Early in the afternoon of April 25, 1865, six horseman trotted up to the Belle Grove house in front of you, dismounted, and searched it and the outbuildings. They were troopers from Lt. Edward P. Doherty's 25-man detail of the 16th New York Cavalry and detective Everton J. Conger of the National Detective Bureau in Washington, D.C. The detail was searching for President Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, who had fled into Virginia.

Earlier that morning, 6 A.M., Doherty had split off Conger's party to scour the country near the Rappahannock River. Doherty and the rest of his men rode inland to King George Court House and then to Port Conway, arriving here around 2 P.M.. While Conger and the rest of the detachment rested at Belle Grove, Doherty and another detective, Luther B. Baker, interrogated the local ferry owner, and confirmed they were on Booth's trail.

The day before, the 24th, Booth and his accomplice David E. Herold were transported in a wagon to Port Conway from a cabin a few miles southwest of present-day Dahlgren. While awaiting the ferry boat, they convinced three former Confederate soldiers

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to help them cross the Rappahannock and find lodging. After they disembarked at Port Royal, they made a brief stop at the Randolph Peyton house, and then traveled on to Garrett's Farm.

After learning they had narrowly missed the assassin, Doherty's full detail crossed the river on the 25th and caught up with Booth and Herold on April 26 at Garrett's Farm, where Booth was killed.

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Remodeled Mansion
Belle Grove's center section was built for John Hipkins ca. 1791, in the Federal style. In 1839, Carolinus Turner (ca. 1813-1876) bought the property, remodeled the house in the Classical Revival style, and added the porticoes and terminal wings. By 1861, he owned property worth $272,500, including 92 enslaved people.
Carolinus Turner - Courtesy King George Historical Society

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Local legend states that exhausted detective Everton J. Conger napped in Belle Grove's hall. Courtesy Montana Memory Project

Port Conway, from Osborn H. Oldroyd, The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1901)

Belle Grove as it appeared in 1894. Then owner John Tayloe Thorton sits on the porch. Courtesy Michelle Darnell

Erected by Virginia

Belle Grove Plantation and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark P Brock-Cancellieri, March 1, 2025

2. Belle Grove Plantation and Marker

Civil War Trails.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 25, 1865.

Location. 38° 10.801′ N, 77° 11.233′ W. Marker is in King George, Virginia, in King George County. It is on Belle Grove Drive 0.2 miles west of James Madison Parkway (U.S. 301), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9221 Belle Grove Dr, King George VA 22485, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Tidewater,

in the Chesapeake Bay Region,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, October 31, 2026

3. Belle Grove

The house is now operated as a bed and breakfast and event venue.

markers are within walking distance of this marker: A River Surrounded by Its People (a few steps from this marker); Belle Grove (a few steps from this marker); Belle Grove Graves Monument (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Emmanuel Church (about 500 feet away); James Madison's Birthplace (about 500 feet away); King George County / Caroline County (about 600 feet away); Port Royal Harbor (approx. half a mile away); Port Royal (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in King George.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Birthplace of Madison (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Belle Grove Plantation Website. The plantation's owners offer special events, bed and breakfast stays, rentals, and tours. (Submitted on November 1, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.)

Additional keywords. John Wilkes Booth Escape Route

Credits. This page was last revised on November 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2025, by Mark P. Brock-Cancellieri of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 378 times since then and 95 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 12, 2025, by Mark P. Brock-Cancellieri of Baltimore, Maryland. 3. submitted on November 1, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.