Baptist Alley

[HerbS]

You people never cease to amaze me with you vast experiences and intellegence!

[L Verge]

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.

[PaigeBooth]

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.

Hi, Laurie,

No, unfortunately Baptist Alley was already paved over with concrete by the time I was there. I would have loved to walk Baptist Alley when it had cobblestones! When was the change made?

My first visit to D.C. and Baptist Alley was the summer of 2013. My mother, grandmother, and I returned for a "girls only trip" this summer of 2014. We revisited Ford's and Baptist Alley and took the "History on Foot" tour again. I love being inside Ford's, and just picturing the way Booth moved through the theatre the night he changed history. We wanted to see Peterson's again, but the lines were extremely long all three days we were there.

Another thing that is sad, is that the Seward House no longer stands. I read that although the house did have a couple owners after the Sewards, there were so many deaths and tragedies in the house, it was torn down since most were superstitious and eventually no one would buy it. Is this true? How great would it be if the house still stood and was open for touring?!

However, we did enjoy a lot of shopping and great restaurants; I love D.C.

[Linda Anderson]

Hi Paige. I agree that it is a shame that the Seward House was torn down. Seward never actually owned it but leased it for eight years from patent attorney Augustus Stoughton.

The mansion did gain such an evil reputation that the newspapers called it the "House of Doom" and the "House of Calamities" among other gloomy names. When former Secretary of State James Blaine who had purchased the house in 1891 lay dying in the front bedroom where Seward was stabbed, the newspapers made sure to mention the uncanny history of the house. After Blaine died in January 1893 it was reported that Mrs. Grant wanted to buy it but later reports said she was dissuaded by her friends because of its reputation.

In May 1894 the Evening Star reported that the newly formed Memorial Association of the District of Columbia was interested in buying historical properties, the Seward House and the Petersen House among them. Unfortunately, that did not come to pass for the Seward House. Mrs Blaine signed a lease with Chicago investors in December 1894.

It was reported in January 1895 that next door neighbor Senator Donald Cameron who owned the old Tayloe house (still standing) had convinced Mrs. Blaine to sign the lease. However, Cameron had an ulterior motive. The house was demolished in January 1895 and Cameron promptly arranged to have an amendment to a bill introduced in the Senate to have the government purchase the property. The government had no plans for the property so Cameron would have a lovely view of the White House and the Potomac from his windows. The bill did not pass the House however and the Belasco Theater was built later in the year.

[Diane T. Putney]

Hello, everyone. This is my first time participating in a discussion.
I have spent time examining adjutant general and chief engineer records at the National Archives for the 1893 collapse of the floors at Ford's. The east, alley wall was completely rebuilt in 1894 for safety concerns. At that time the fire escapes were placed on the wall. No fire escapes had ever been placed on the older, remodeled wall. The photograph is then 1894 or later.
A larger, clearer version of the alley photo appeared in Clara Laughlin's 1909 book, "The Death of Lincoln," p. 122, as Dave Taylor pointed out. Laughlin was pretty good at identifying the sources of her photos, except for those of the conspirators and the Ford's alley photo. Because the alley photo had no source, it was probably original to her 1909 book, but can't say for sure. Her book was copyrighted so she was sensitive to using copyrighted material with permission and attribution.
Definitely the photo is 1894 or later and 1909 or earlier. Probably it's a 1909 photo.

[RJNorton]

Welcome to the forum, Diane! For those folks interested in Clara Laughlin's book, and I have forgotten if this has been previously mentioned, a new hardback edition of her book was published in 1997 by Tony O'Connor Vermont Civil War Enterprises. This edition contains an index and a preface by Lincoln expert Mike Kauffman.

[L Verge]

Thank you for joining the forum, Diane, (as well as the Surratt Society) - thank you for starting right out giving us some facts about the age of that photo. The fire escape history gives it the perfect reference for ca. 1900.

[PaigeBooth]

Hi, Linda,

Thank you for all the wonderful information on the Seward Home! I found the latter part of your post about Senator Cameron particularly interesting.

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P.S. Welcome to the Symposium, Diane. I am certain you will find it a great place to be. It is filled with many knowledgeable and wonderful people.

[Linda Anderson]

Hi, Linda,

Thank you for all the wonderful information on the Seward Home! I found the latter part of your post about Senator Cameron particularly interesting.

You're welcome, Paige. There were a number of snarky articles about Cameron's "Little Scheme" as the Philadelphia Enquirer called it.

The Nov. 6, 1895 Boston Journal stated that had the amendment passed the House, “…it would have come about that the sunlight would have streamed into the southern windows of Don Cameron’s house and the prevailing winds on the Potomac River in hot weather would have come up to them unvexed and unimpeded by the walls of the old Blaine mansion and that there was a possibility that a permanent Government park would have been established to improve his [Cameron’s] property to the extent of at least $25,000.”

The Cameron and Seward houses were separated only by a narrow alley. Cameron leased his house and moved out the following year.

[Jim Garrett]

The Seward House, also known as the Old Club and before that, the Rogers House was also the scene of the 1858 shooting of Phillip Barton Key by Dan Sickles. Key was gunned down in front of the Old Club, and carried into the front parlor where shorty thereafter, he expired.