“Lincoln – John Wilkes Booth Escape Route”
November 9, 2014 |
OCPHS’s 2014 “Small Talk” Lecture Series Presents: “Lincoln – John Wilkes Booth Escape Route”
Presented by OCPHS member William Grandstaff
Sunday, November 9, 2014 @ 2pm
$5 per person
Refreshments Provided
John Wilkes Booth was a well known actor who was recognized in both the North and South. He was a Southern sympathizer who called Lincoln a tyrant and by 1864-65 felt that the President had so overstepped his executive authority that he had to be eliminated. Through a series of unfortunate omissions and mishaps, Booth was able to get close enough to Lincoln on that Good Friday to raise a small, single shot derringer and shoot him at point blank range. The confusion that followed allowed Booth to escape the theater and cross over the Navy Bridge into Maryland and what he hoped was safety in the South. The plan would soon turn into a frustrating
ordeal for Booth and his companion, David Herold. Eventually, Booth came to the realization that his action was not the patriotic grand gesture he thought it would be but rather was perceived as a cowardly act that most people rejected. His final day, April 26th was a tragic and ignoble end to one of the saddest episodes in our history.
Learn about his final twelve day journey and the stories of the people along the way that assisted or chose not to help the pair.
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Website:
www.ocphs.org |
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Location Information |
Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society |
405 Cesar E. Chavez Ave. Pontiac, MI 48438 |
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Contact Information |
Sara Guy |
Email:
office@ocphs.org |
Phone:
248-338-6732 |
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