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Broadside advertising reward for capture of Lincoln assassination conspirators, illustrated with photographic prints of John H. Surratt, John Wilkes Booth and David E. Herold. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

For sale: home where assassin Booth sought help

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

Broadside advertising reward for capture of Lincoln assassination conspirators, illustrated with photographic prints of John H. Surratt, John Wilkes Booth and David E. Herold. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Broadside advertising reward for capture of Lincoln assassination conspirators, illustrated with photographic prints of John H. Surratt, John Wilkes Booth and David E. Herold. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
KING GEORGE, Va. (AP) – A piece of King George County history is headed for auction and preservationists are concerned what will happen to the property.

Cleydael, a manor house where President Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, sought medical help after escaping Washington, was scheduled for public auction Tuesday on the steps of the King George Courthouse, but the sale was abruptly called off. According to The Free Lance-Star, the property will be auctioned on site within six weeks.

Ben Warthen, one of two Richmond attorneys who are co-administrators of the estate, said the sale will include contents of the house, some of which have a connection to Booth and Ford’s Theatre.

The property’s most recent owner, Kathryn Coombs, died in January without leaving a will. The house with 12 acres is valued at $299,300, according to the county’s online GIS system.

Built in 1859, Cleydael was a summer home for Dr. Richard Stuart and his family. Stuart refused to help Booth when the assassin arrived April 23, 1865. Federal troops killed captured and killed Booth the next morning.

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Information from: The Free Lance-Star, http://www.fredericksburg.com/

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-07-25-11 0633GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Broadside advertising reward for capture of Lincoln assassination conspirators, illustrated with photographic prints of John H. Surratt, John Wilkes Booth and David E. Herold. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Broadside advertising reward for capture of Lincoln assassination conspirators, illustrated with photographic prints of John H. Surratt, John Wilkes Booth and David E. Herold. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.