Baptist Alley

[L Verge]

(12-19-2014 05:47 PM)PaigeBooth Wrote:  Baptist Alley is one of my favorite Lincoln Assassination sites to visit in Washington D.C. I have taken the " Detective McDevitt History on Foot" tour given by Ford's. It is a fabulous tour and a great way to experience Baptist Alley. My favorite part of the tour is the walk down Baptist; the tour guide brings it to life. I've taken the tour twice, and would consider taking it again when I'm in D.C.

P.S. I cannot remember where, but I once read that Baptist Alley received its name since Ford's was originally a Baptist Church? Does anyone know if this is true?

Paige - Were you able to take the alley tour back a few years ago when it still had its cobblestones? I felt robbed of a part of the history when they paved everything over in concrete!

There are two places on the Booth Tour where I really felt like the history came alive. One was walking out the back door of the Theatre and into that cobbled and smelly alley. The other is when I stood on the banks of the Potomac at what is now the retreat house and saw the size of the water that I/Booth would have to row across in the dark. If I/Booth didn't, the Union authorities would certainly get me. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place...

The site of the Garrett farm was always anti-climatic to me -- sort of ironical that the man seeking great fame was (as Mike Kauffman used to say) struck in the southbound lanes of Rt. 301 and died in the median strip.