The Capture of John Wilkes Booth

After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the ill-fated escape effort of John Wilkes Booth ended in Virginia on the doorstep of Richard Garrett, where Booth was shot by pursuing federal forces and died on April 26, 1865. Garrett’s Farm, frequently the subject of Booth-related intrigue, was purchased in 1940 by the U.S. Army and is part of Fort A.P. Hill, an Army training installation. Although Garrett’s house and other structures are long gone, the former Garrett house site is now situated in the median of a divided highway and is the subject of many unauthorized roadside visits each year. As stewards of the land and the highway respectively, Fort A.P. Hill and the Virginia Department of Transportation are undertaking archeological studies to document the Garrett Farm site. These studies seek to evaluate the integrity and determine the cultural significance of the Garrett Farm site, particularly as it represents the last of the many sites that make up Booth’s escape route. The studies also aim to explore the potential to use the site, in cooperation with Historic Port Royal and Caroline County, for public exhibition in April 2015 on the 150th anniversary of the capture of John Wilkes Booth

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