Check out Dave's new Rich Hill site for some great "new" unpublished photos of Rich Hill circa 1920s - and some great new "information" possibly involving Dr Mudd and Cox....

http://richhillfriends.org/2015/09/29/tw...rich-hill/

(09-30-2015 05:29 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Check out Dave's new Rich Hill site for some great "new" unpublished photos of Rich Hill circa 1920s - and some great new "information" possibly involving Dr Mudd and Cox....

http://richhillfriends.org/2015/09/29/tw...rich-hill/

Betty:

My information varies slightly from the inscription (it includes directions from Dr. Mudd to Hagen's Folly, the home of William Burtles, as well as to Rich Hill), but is consistent with it. I believe Cox was complicit in the conspiracy, not to kidnap, which I and many others (Harris; Bingham; Weichmann) believe to be a myth, but to murder. He most likely knew that Booth and Herold (and perhaps Atzerodt, if he had elected to follow them) would show up on his doorstep that night. That he told Smoot he had to spend $16,000 ($224,000 in today's money) to keep his neck from being cracked indicates that his complicity was no mystery to Federal prosecutors.

John

(09-30-2015 06:34 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 05:29 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Check out Dave's new Rich Hill site for some great "new" unpublished photos of Rich Hill circa 1920s - and some great new "information" possibly involving Dr Mudd and Cox....

http://richhillfriends.org/2015/09/29/tw...rich-hill/

Betty:

My information varies slightly from the inscription (it includes directions from Dr. Mudd to Hagen's Folly, the home of William Burtles, as well as to Rich Hill), but is consistent with it. I believe Cox was complicit in the conspiracy, not to kidnap, which I and many others (Harris; Bingham; Weichmann) believe to be a myth, but to murder. He most likely knew that Booth and Herold (and perhaps Atzerodt, if he had elected to follow them) would show up on his doorstep that night. That he told Smoot he had to spend $16,000 ($224,000 in today's money) to keep his neck from being cracked indicates that his complicity was no mystery to Federal prosecutors.

John

We're on a roll, John, in agreeing with each other. Col. Cox was very influential in the underground resistance in Southern Maryland and a tough man to have against you. I dont believe that every member of the Secret Line knew who all the others were, but they had darn good suspicions -- and I bet Cox was suspicioned by a lot of them.

The only thing that would cause me to hesitate to go to Cox's house (if I were a fugitive in 1865) is the fact that the Federals were very aware of Samuel Cox, had raided his property after a report that he was storing war supplies there, and because of that nasty incident that they had with him regarding his runaway, Jack Scroggins, and the Fugitive Slave Law early in the conflict. However, the fact that the Chief Signal Agent in Southern Maryland, Thomas Jones (a man quite skilled at getting people and things across the Potomac) was Cox's foster brother would sweeten the pot for me.

(09-30-2015 05:29 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Check out Dave's new Rich Hill site for some great "new" unpublished photos of Rich Hill circa 1920s - and some great new "information" possibly involving Dr Mudd and Cox....

http://richhillfriends.org/2015/09/29/tw...rich-hill/

Dave also has a really interesting piece on Haberdeventure, the colonial home of Declaration of Independence signer Thomas Stone. I never knew about it, but now I can't wait to visit.

(09-30-2015 09:45 AM)L Verge Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 06:34 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 05:29 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Check out Dave's new Rich Hill site for some great "new" unpublished photos of Rich Hill circa 1920s - and some great new "information" possibly involving Dr Mudd and Cox....

http://richhillfriends.org/2015/09/29/tw...rich-hill/

Betty:

My information varies slightly from the inscription (it includes directions from Dr. Mudd to Hagen's Folly, the home of William Burtles, as well as to Rich Hill), but is consistent with it. I believe Cox was complicit in the conspiracy, not to kidnap, which I and many others (Harris; Bingham; Weichmann) believe to be a myth, but to murder. He most likely knew that Booth and Herold (and perhaps Atzerodt, if he had elected to follow them) would show up on his doorstep that night. That he told Smoot he had to spend $16,000 ($224,000 in today's money) to keep his neck from being cracked indicates that his complicity was no mystery to Federal prosecutors.

John

We're on a roll, John, in agreeing with each other. Col. Cox was very influential in the underground resistance in Southern Maryland and a tough man to have against you. I dont believe that every member of the Secret Line knew who all the others were, but they had darn good suspicions -- and I bet Cox was suspicioned by a lot of them.

The only thing that would cause me to hesitate to go to Cox's house (if I were a fugitive in 1865) is the fact that the Federals were very aware of Samuel Cox, had raided his property after a report that he was storing war supplies there, and because of that nasty incident that they had with him regarding his runaway, Jack Scroggins, and the Fugitive Slave Law early in the conflict. However, the fact that the Chief Signal Agent in Southern Maryland, Thomas Jones (a man quite skilled at getting people and things across the Potomac) was Cox's foster brother would sweeten the pot for me.

Laurie:

Thanks for that information about Cox, not previously known by me. An intelligent guess is that Cox's connection with Jones also sweetened the pot for Dr. Mudd, which is why he directed the fugitives there rather than to Parson Wilmer's home, which he used as a red herring to throw Federal pursuers off the track. Wasn't it Cox who beat one of his slaves for disloyalty after giving assurances to Federals that if they handed the slave over to him, that no harm would come to the poor fellow?

John

(10-01-2015 02:59 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 09:45 AM)L Verge Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 06:34 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 05:29 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Check out Dave's new Rich Hill site for some great "new" unpublished photos of Rich Hill circa 1920s - and some great new "information" possibly involving Dr Mudd and Cox....

http://richhillfriends.org/2015/09/29/tw...rich-hill/

Betty:

My information varies slightly from the inscription (it includes directions from Dr. Mudd to Hagen's Folly, the home of William Burtles, as well as to Rich Hill), but is consistent with it. I believe Cox was complicit in the conspiracy, not to kidnap, which I and many others (Harris; Bingham; Weichmann) believe to be a myth, but to murder. He most likely knew that Booth and Herold (and perhaps Atzerodt, if he had elected to follow them) would show up on his doorstep that night. That he told Smoot he had to spend $16,000 ($224,000 in today's money) to keep his neck from being cracked indicates that his complicity was no mystery to Federal prosecutors.

John

We're on a roll, John, in agreeing with each other. Col. Cox was very influential in the underground resistance in Southern Maryland and a tough man to have against you. I dont believe that every member of the Secret Line knew who all the others were, but they had darn good suspicions -- and I bet Cox was suspicioned by a lot of them.

The only thing that would cause me to hesitate to go to Cox's house (if I were a fugitive in 1865) is the fact that the Federals were very aware of Samuel Cox, had raided his property after a report that he was storing war supplies there, and because of that nasty incident that they had with him regarding his runaway, Jack Scroggins, and the Fugitive Slave Law early in the conflict. However, the fact that the Chief Signal Agent in Southern Maryland, Thomas Jones (a man quite skilled at getting people and things across the Potomac) was Cox's foster brother would sweeten the pot for me.

Laurie:

Thanks for that information about Cox, not previously known by me. An intelligent guess is that Cox's connection with Jones also sweetened the pot for Dr. Mudd, which is why he directed the fugitives there rather than to Parson Wilmer's home, which he used as a red herring to throw Federal pursuers off the track. Wasn't it Cox who beat one of his slaves for disloyalty after giving assurances to Federals that if they handed the slave over to him, that no harm would come to the poor fellow?

John

The "Colonel" in Col. Cox referred to his early role in heading up the local militia that protected his home county even before the war. Mike Kauffman used to refer to the rank as equal to KFC's "Col." Sanders. There has been a legend around for a very long time that there might still be rifles buried on the Rich Hill property from the Civil War period. As many times as those fields have been tilled for tobacco planting, however, I seriously doubt it.

Jack Scroggins was Cox's unfortunate slave that met his death because of fleeing to Union lines. Sad story told well in Ed Steers's Blood on the Moon.

John - did your research uncover anything about William Burtles (Bertles)? Who told Booth to seek him out? I know the general location of where he lived, and there is another man in that vicinity that may have been part of the secret line also -- any info on Joseph Cantor/Canter?

As for Parson Wilmer, his being mentioned by either Booth, Herold, or Mudd has to be a joke. Parson Wilmer was a staunch Unionist, whose siding with the Federals split his congregation to the point where it almost destroyed the parish -- especially when he was appointed a chaplain for Union forces by Edwin Stanton. I think there were five men in all of Charles County who voted for Lincoln in the 1860 election (four more than in our Prince George's County), and Parson Wilmer had to be one of them.

My personal opinion is that Dr. Mudd told the troops that Booth wanted to go to Parson Wilmer's in order to throw them off the real trail - and also to try and get the Episcopal priest in trouble for being a "traitor to the cause" during the war.

Here is a question for you historical architects out there. When I visited Rich Hill in late July I was invited inside by the workmen and I took lots of photos including many of the original log beams with visible ax cuts. Inside the front door and between the front parlor and back room was a wooden constructed archway. (BTW, the same looking archway is in the Peyton house in Port Conway) On the flat surface of the arch, facing the opposite side was a decorative metal plate or escutcheon screwed into the wood about 40" above the floor. I believe there was one on the other side facing each other. It did not appear there was ever a sliding door between the rooms. I am curious as to what is the purpose or function of this plate. I tried to post photos but the direction to post did not sync with the website. Frustration reigned...

(10-01-2015 08:48 AM)L Verge Wrote:  

(10-01-2015 02:59 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 09:45 AM)L Verge Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 06:34 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 05:29 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Check out Dave's new Rich Hill site for some great "new" unpublished photos of Rich Hill circa 1920s - and some great new "information" possibly involving Dr Mudd and Cox....

http://richhillfriends.org/2015/09/29/tw...rich-hill/

Laurie:

All I have on Burtles is that Dr. Mudd directed the fugitives to his home (Hagen's Folly) when he asked them to leave his home after his trip to Bryantown. Apparently he intended this to be their first stop, followed by Rich Hill. Despite the doctor's directions, the fugitives were soon lost and apparently came upon the home of Joseph Cantor by chance. He was another Confederate sympathizer who lived near what is now Hughesville. He gave them directions to Hagen's Folly, but in the confusion that night, they stumbled upon Oswald Swann, a free black. They hired him to take them to Hagen's Folly, but on the way, Booth changed his mind and asked Swann to take them to Rich Hill instead, which is why they showed up at Cox's home. Why Booth changed his mind is anyone's guess. Inasmuch as Dr. Mudd directed him to Hagen's and Booth had asked Swann to take them there, it would appear that something Swann said to them must have caused him to believe Cox offered a better refuge than Burtles. If I have anything more on these people, it is buried in a ton of remnants of the book accumulated along the way.

John



Betty:

My information varies slightly from the inscription (it includes directions from Dr. Mudd to Hagen's Folly, the home of William Burtles, as well as to Rich Hill), but is consistent with it. I believe Cox was complicit in the conspiracy, not to kidnap, which I and many others (Harris; Bingham; Weichmann) believe to be a myth, but to murder. He most likely knew that Booth and Herold (and perhaps Atzerodt, if he had elected to follow them) would show up on his doorstep that night. That he told Smoot he had to spend $16,000 ($224,000 in today's money) to keep his neck from being cracked indicates that his complicity was no mystery to Federal prosecutors.

John

We're on a roll, John, in agreeing with each other. Col. Cox was very influential in the underground resistance in Southern Maryland and a tough man to have against you. I dont believe that every member of the Secret Line knew who all the others were, but they had darn good suspicions -- and I bet Cox was suspicioned by a lot of them.

The only thing that would cause me to hesitate to go to Cox's house (if I were a fugitive in 1865) is the fact that the Federals were very aware of Samuel Cox, had raided his property after a report that he was storing war supplies there, and because of that nasty incident that they had with him regarding his runaway, Jack Scroggins, and the Fugitive Slave Law early in the conflict. However, the fact that the Chief Signal Agent in Southern Maryland, Thomas Jones (a man quite skilled at getting people and things across the Potomac) was Cox's foster brother would sweeten the pot for me.

Laurie:

Thanks for that information about Cox, not previously known by me. An intelligent guess is that Cox's connection with Jones also sweetened the pot for Dr. Mudd, which is why he directed the fugitives there rather than to Parson Wilmer's home, which he used as a red herring to throw Federal pursuers off the track. Wasn't it Cox who beat one of his slaves for disloyalty after giving assurances to Federals that if they handed the slave over to him, that no harm would come to the poor fellow?

John

The "Colonel" in Col. Cox referred to his early role in heading up the local militia that protected his home county even before the war. Mike Kauffman used to refer to the rank as equal to KFC's "Col." Sanders. There has been a legend around for a very long time that there might still be rifles buried on the Rich Hill property from the Civil War period. As many times as those fields have been tilled for tobacco planting, however, I seriously doubt it.

Jack Scroggins was Cox's unfortunate slave that met his death because of fleeing to Union lines. Sad story told well in Ed Steers's Blood on the Moon.

John - did your research uncover anything about William Burtles (Bertles)? Who told Booth to seek him out? I know the general location of where he lived, and there is another man in that vicinity that may have been part of the secret line also -- any info on Joseph Cantor/Canter?

As for Parson Wilmer, his being mentioned by either Booth, Herold, or Mudd has to be a joke. Parson Wilmer was a staunch Unionist, whose siding with the Federals split his congregation to the point where it almost destroyed the parish -- especially when he was appointed a chaplain for Union forces by Edwin Stanton. I think there were five men in all of Charles County who voted for Lincoln in the 1860 election (four more than in our Prince George's County), and Parson Wilmer had to be one of them.

My personal opinion is that Dr. Mudd told the troops that Booth wanted to go to Parson Wilmer's in order to throw them off the real trail - and also to try and get the Episcopal priest in trouble for being a "traitor to the cause" during the war.

---

(10-10-2015 05:18 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(10-01-2015 08:48 AM)L Verge Wrote:  

(10-01-2015 02:59 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 09:45 AM)L Verge Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 06:34 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  Laurie:

All I have on Burtles is that Dr. Mudd directed the fugitives to his home (Hagen's Folly) when he asked them to leave his home after his trip to Bryantown. Apparently he intended this to be their first stop, followed by Rich Hill. Despite the doctor's directions, the fugitives were soon lost and apparently came upon the home of Joseph Cantor by chance. He was another Confederate sympathizer who lived near what is now Hughesville. He gave them directions to Hagen's Folly, but in the confusion that night, they stumbled upon Oswald Swann, a free black. They hired him to take them to Hagen's Folly, but on the way, Booth changed his mind and asked Swann to take them to Rich Hill instead, which is why they showed up at Cox's home. Why Booth changed his mind is anyone's guess. Inasmuch as Dr. Mudd directed him to Hagen's and Booth had asked Swann to take them there, it would appear that something Swann said to them must have caused him to believe Cox offered a better refuge than Burtles. If I have anything more on these people, it is buried in a ton of remnants of the book accumulated along the way.

John



Betty:

My information varies slightly from the inscription (it includes directions from Dr. Mudd to Hagen's Folly, the home of William Burtles, as well as to Rich Hill), but is consistent with it. I believe Cox was complicit in the conspiracy, not to kidnap, which I and many others (Harris; Bingham; Weichmann) believe to be a myth, but to murder. He most likely knew that Booth and Herold (and perhaps Atzerodt, if he had elected to follow them) would show up on his doorstep that night. That he told Smoot he had to spend $16,000 ($224,000 in today's money) to keep his neck from being cracked indicates that his complicity was no mystery to Federal prosecutors.

John

We're on a roll, John, in agreeing with each other. Col. Cox was very influential in the underground resistance in Southern Maryland and a tough man to have against you. I dont believe that every member of the Secret Line knew who all the others were, but they had darn good suspicions -- and I bet Cox was suspicioned by a lot of them.

The only thing that would cause me to hesitate to go to Cox's house (if I were a fugitive in 1865) is the fact that the Federals were very aware of Samuel Cox, had raided his property after a report that he was storing war supplies there, and because of that nasty incident that they had with him regarding his runaway, Jack Scroggins, and the Fugitive Slave Law early in the conflict. However, the fact that the Chief Signal Agent in Southern Maryland, Thomas Jones (a man quite skilled at getting people and things across the Potomac) was Cox's foster brother would sweeten the pot for me.

Laurie:

Thanks for that information about Cox, not previously known by me. An intelligent guess is that Cox's connection with Jones also sweetened the pot for Dr. Mudd, which is why he directed the fugitives there rather than to Parson Wilmer's home, which he used as a red herring to throw Federal pursuers off the track. Wasn't it Cox who beat one of his slaves for disloyalty after giving assurances to Federals that if they handed the slave over to him, that no harm would come to the poor fellow?

John

The "Colonel" in Col. Cox referred to his early role in heading up the local militia that protected his home county even before the war. Mike Kauffman used to refer to the rank as equal to KFC's "Col." Sanders. There has been a legend around for a very long time that there might still be rifles buried on the Rich Hill property from the Civil War period. As many times as those fields have been tilled for tobacco planting, however, I seriously doubt it.

Jack Scroggins was Cox's unfortunate slave that met his death because of fleeing to Union lines. Sad story told well in Ed Steers's Blood on the Moon.

John - did your research uncover anything about William Burtles (Bertles)? Who told Booth to seek him out? I know the general location of where he lived, and there is another man in that vicinity that may have been part of the secret line also -- any info on Joseph Cantor/Canter?

As for Parson Wilmer, his being mentioned by either Booth, Herold, or Mudd has to be a joke. Parson Wilmer was a staunch Unionist, whose siding with the Federals split his congregation to the point where it almost destroyed the parish -- especially when he was appointed a chaplain for Union forces by Edwin Stanton. I think there were five men in all of Charles County who voted for Lincoln in the 1860 election (four more than in our Prince George's County), and Parson Wilmer had to be one of them.

My personal opinion is that Dr. Mudd told the troops that Booth wanted to go to Parson Wilmer's in order to throw them off the real trail - and also to try and get the Episcopal priest in trouble for being a "traitor to the cause" during the war.

Laurie:

See my entry above re Burtles and Cantor. It was plugged into the wrong slot.

John

(10-09-2015 11:20 AM)Dennis Urban Wrote:  Here is a question for you historical architects out there. When I visited Rich Hill in late July I was invited inside by the workmen and I took lots of photos including many of the original log beams with visible ax cuts. Inside the front door and between the front parlor and back room was a wooden constructed archway. (BTW, the same looking archway is in the Peyton house in Port Conway) On the flat surface of the arch, facing the opposite side was a decorative metal plate or escutcheon screwed into the wood about 40" above the floor. I believe there was one on the other side facing each other. It did not appear there was ever a sliding door between the rooms. I am curious as to what is the purpose or function of this plate. I tried to post photos but the direction to post did not sync with the website. Frustration reigned...

Dennis sent me the photos he took. Here they are:

I posed the question about the metal plate and sent the photos to the gov't. agency that is working on the Rich Hill project. They in turn queried the restoration architect. Here is his response:

Here's the response from David Berg, our architectural historian under contract to write the Historic Structures Report.

>>> "David" > 10/13/2015 1:10 PM >>>
Cathy:

This appears to be mold cast, early 20th century hardware. From the looks of it, something in the center is broken off and may have been a decorative hook - perhaps someone once divided the hallway into two rooms with a curtain and used a hook to close it. Just a guess. It does not appear to be anything that would have been there in the early or mid-1800s, but could be as early as the 1890s. That is my opinion.

David

Laurie, That explanation sounds plausible. Thanks for your efforts.
Dennis

(10-13-2015 01:00 PM)Dennis Urban Wrote:  Laurie, That explanation sounds plausible. Thanks for your efforts.
Dennis

When I was a child, my uncle's house had a similar arrangement. My aunt needed room to put an upright piano in her living room, and the only space was where the open door to the room would be. They removed the door and used a curtain to separate the living room from the cold hallway. I don't remember such a handsome piece of hardware holding the curtain rod or curtain, however.

Driving down Bel Alton/Newtown road, I see they have removed the orange retainer fence and added a beautiful split rail fence, adding to the charm of the site. It looks more like a historical site, as it should, and less like a construction site. More inviting!

Boy, that's fast work! I was just at Rich Hill this past Saturday with one of the Surratt Booth Tours, and the orange retainer was still there. Thanks for posting this; it is 100% better for photo ops at the least.

I am on the project in an advisory position, and I can tell you that both the Charles County government and the Friends of Rich Hill, a committee within the Charles County Historical Society, are moving along as quickly as permits and restoration codes permit. They have already contracted for a series of exterior signage highlighting the history of the site back to its 1700s roots. They have also assigned a contract to a graphic artist to design what is known as a pull-up, a portable display panel that literally pulls up out of a small container and tells the history. The Charles County Fair is next weekend, and I hope the pull-up is ready in time for a booth exhibit there.

Matt, thank you for posting these photos!