John Wilkes Booth's Escape Route

[GARY POPOLO]

Thank you. That is what I want to say to the Surratt House and its employees that I had the pleasure to meet this past weekend. My wife and I went on the Booth escape tour and the tour to Washington which included a trip to fort McNair. For those of you who have not been to the fort it is a must see. I could feel the history of that building and what it must have been like for all the people who were present during the trial. The person who helped me feel that way was our guide Joan Chaconas. Joan seemed to know everything there was to know on our tour. She made the trip so much more enjoyable. we were also lucky enough to have along with us the great great granddaughter of Dr. Mudd. She was such a sweet person. We also had the pleasure to meet and talk to Lynn Buonviri and her husband. To those who do not know her she is the writer who wrote Mary's Story A conversation with Mary Surratt. My wife purchased her book when we returned to the Surratt house on day two of our trip.Our guide for day two was a young lady named Lindsey and a gentleman named John. I am sorry but I can not remember John's last name. He and Lindsey were great together giving all of us a ton of information the whole day long. For those of you who don't know the escape route is a 12 hour tour. And for all those hours John just kept right on talking. He was excellent. From the start going into Ford's theater is just something everyone should do. You can not explain the feeling of being there. Then going to all the stops that Booth made during his escape was beyond words. One of my favorites was Dr. Mudd's home. All in all my wife and I had one of the best trips we have ever had together. I have always wanted to go on this tour and my wife who is not a history person loved the trip. So again thanks to all the people at the Surratt house for making our trip so wonderful.