Check out Dave Taylor's site for his latest article on Herb Collins. Herb is a fascinating person with a million incredible stories. Jim Garrett and I talked about the need for someone to begin chronicling his life to record where he has been and what he has done. Dave is just the right person and you can tell that Herb enjoys spending time with Dave discussing the past.

I really appreciate Dave's story of Herb Collins. I had never heard of his home, Green Falls. Sounds like a wonderful place to visit -- and yes, Dave is the right person to chronicle Mr. Collins' fantastic life. Perhaps Mr. Collins would also like to join us here!

Thanks for starting this thread Rich and thank you Dave for writing the article on Herb. There is only, and there will only be one Herb Collins. Herb has devoted his life to history. He has the rare combination of an encyclopediac mind, and the ability to share it with any and all who are interested. He is amongst the most engaging people I have ever met and I enjoy his conversations.

I'm really glad that Dave and Herb have really hit it off. We need another Herb Collins field trip.

Rich, Betty, and Jim, thanks for your postings on this outstanding gentleman. Betty, I love your idea, and I will see if I can contact him about joining.

Herb is remarkable to say the least. I spent yesterday with him and updated my blog with a few more pictures.

Herb is slowly but surely working on his memoirs. In addition, the Caroline County library did an oral history book on him where they interviewed him and wrote up his stories. They have copies in the library and Herb has one himself.

Yesterday he showed me a condolences letter he received from Joan Chaconas at the Surratt Society in 1981 after the passing of his mother. She apparently heard about Herb's mother's death from Maude Motley.

Thanks to Jim Garrett fro introducing me to this great man.

That must answer my question then about whether or not Herb is the gentleman I met at the Lincoln Group of D.C. 1981 would have been about the time that Joan was president of that group as well as a leader in the Surratt Society.

For those who may not know, Maude Motley was the lovely embodiment of a true Southern lady. Soft spoken, the granddaughter of a Confederate general whom Lee referred to as the "handsomest man in the Confederacy (and I have seen his portrait -- he was!), and a great historian in her own right. Her home was a Civil War museum practically, but her greatest treasure was a sliver of Booth's crutch that had been given to her. She would meet our Booth Tour buses in Bowling Green beside the site of the Star Hotel where Willie Jett got rudely awakened, and tell us about growing up around the people who had been eyewitnesses to the capture of Booth and Herold.

Lucinda Holloway, who had cradled Booth near death, was a teacher of Miss Maude's. She also told us that the blood-stained boards from the Garretts' porch were ripped up and stored in a shed at the farm. The boys would scare girls by running around with the boards, waving them in the air.

Miss Maude was in her 80s when we were friends with her in the 1970s and 80s. She stopped meeting our bus when she became too old to drive into town. For years, it seemed like a part of the tour was missing. John Brennan, also a Southern gentleman educated at The Citadel, always arranged for us to have a box of chocolates to give to Miss Maude each trip. I always suspected that they had "eyes for each other..."

I'm sure Herb would love to engage in the discussions here as he's told me that he has studied Abraham Lincoln from "a to -ism". Unfortunately while he has a computer for word processing purposes, he does not have any internet access. He told me that he had it once, but that there were too many viruses out there and it was too complicated for him.

And, Laurie, Herb did tell me he was a member and spoke at the Lincoln Group before. According to him, he loved giving speeches and talking about Lincoln and other subjects, but if he wasn't behind the podium speaking he was always bored to tears. I can certainly believe it as the man loves to talk.

I hope he's allowing you to record him...

Here are some early photos of Miss Motley and the Crutch - This was when we used to use the old school bus for the Booth Escape Route Tours!


This is Miss Motley and Joan Chaconas


In this photo, Miss Motley is speaking to John C. Brennan - with a very young Mike Kauffman to the far right in the plaid shirt.

Here's a group photo from the April 1983 Surratt tour. Recognize any of these folks?

(09-03-2012, 05:37 AM)RJNorton Wrote: Here's a group photo from the April 1983 Surratt tour. Recognize any of these folks?

Oh, yes -- I see Laurie and myself (in the white sweatshirt) in the front row to the far left behind John Brennan who is kneeling in front....Frank Hebblewaith, Ed Steers, Joan Chaconas, (2nd and 3rd Row back to the extreme end left) Nancy Griffith, (front row - blue shirt on extreme right) Mr. Hall (one over from Ed Steers on Back Row) and possibly Bob Cook (bearded gent, back row to right of the sign) and Art Loux (next to Bob Cook) in the far back....

My old eyes need this enlarged, but I think that Elizabeth Trindal, author of An American Tragedy, is seated on the ground to the right in a blue suit with white blouse and beside her is Dorothy and Howard Fox, then-owners of Tudor Hall.

Dave. I just read your blog posting on Herb and am blown away. Great work. What an amazing person!

He is a very amazing man and he's working hard to start up a wonderful museum in Port Royal, VA to hold his multifacted collection. With his donations, they already have a portrait gallery featuring important Virginians.