Where Booth Died
N 38° 09.753 W 077° 12.062
18S E 307171 N 4226139
Quick Description: Near the Garrett Farm where John Wilkes Booth died after assassinating President Abraham Lincoln
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 8/12/2006 3:18:47 PM
Waymark Code: WMKWF
Views: 235
Long Description:John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on April
14, 1865. He escaped out of Washington, D.C. passing through the
rural Maryland Countryside. Several days after the assassination,
Booth crossed the Potomac River into Virginia and made his way to a
farm owned by Richard Henry Garrett, which was located near Port
Royal, Virginia. On April 26, 1865, Federal Cavalry advanced to the
Garrett Property and Booth was located hiding in a barn. When Booth
resisted Federal Troops under the command of Lieutenant Edward
Doherty killed him.
This historical marker is located in the southbound lanes of
Route 301 near the intersection of Route 17 in Port Royal,
Virginia. The actual location of the Garrett Farm House is located
in the median of U. S. Route 301, about 2.5 miles south of this
marker. A historical marker (EP-20 and Waymark WMJNR) located at N
38° 08.441 - W 077° 13.701 in the Northbound Lane of Route 301 is
actually very close to the site of the Garrett Farm. You can
actually take a small path into the median to the site where the
farmhouse stood.
MARKER EP-20 AND ACCESS TO THE GARRETT FARM SITE CAN ONLY BE
ACCESSED FROM THE NORTHBOUND LANES OF ROUTE 301. ROUTE 301 IS A
BUSY U.S. HIGHWAY AND EXTREME CAUTION SHOULD BE USE WHEN VISITING
THE AREA.
While in the area you may want to visit a couple of closeby
GEOCACHES including Horse History #1 (GC88D9) and James Dean Didn't
Die Here (GCK089)
The text of this historical marker reads:
WHERE BOOTH DIED
“On this road two miles south is the Garrett Place. There John
Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin, was found by Union cavalry and
killed while resisting arrest, April 26, 1865.”