Rich Hill

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As a "Friend of Rich Hill," I am happy to post this.

Rich Hill was the home of Samuel Cox, a Confederate agent in southern Maryland. It is where JW Booth and his accomplice, David Herold, went after leaving the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd after Lincoln's assassination. Cox secreted the assassins, and waited for an opportunity to get them across the Potomac (and that is another conversation). For years, Rich Hill was on private property, viewable only from afar, and the house was about ready to fall down. Mike Mazzeo seized the opportunity to rescue and restore the house.

Another piece of the Lincoln assassination and the Booth escape has been restored. This is the press release:


The Historical Society of Charles County and the Friends of Rich Hill are excited and proud to announce that Historic Rich Hill is finished!



Rich Hill will be opened beginning the first weekend in April, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm, and every weekend thereafter through the first weekend in December!



IT TOOK A VILLAGE



First and foremost, we could not have finished this project without our phenomenal Steering Committee: Michael J. Mazzeo, Jr., Mary Pat Berry, Ronald G. Brown, Joyce Candland, Carol Donohue, Edward B. Edelen, Jr., Thomas Pike (deceased), Debra Scoggins, Dave Taylor, Cathy Hardy Thompson, Charles County Department of Planning and Growth Management; Esther Doyle Read, Charles County Archaeologist; and Laurie Verge, (deceased) of the Surratt House Museum.



To our remarkable contractors who made things happen, thank you: The Ottery Group, Inc.; Robert Silman Associates; Garner Construction, LLC; SE Davis Construction, LLC (Sue Davis, Jeff Holt, Joe Rieman); Lawrence Abell & Associates LTD, (Lawrence Abell, Doug Norway); Chuck DiNatale; Tim Gilbert; Next Level Contracting, LLC, (Tony Catena); TMG Capitol Construction, LLC, (Tyler Gallo); and Edinger’s Carpet & Flooring.



We could not have funded this project without a Bond Bill from the State of Maryland sponsored by Senator Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., (deceased), the Historical Society of Charles County, Inc., many donations from the Friends of Rich Hill and funding from the following grants: Charles County Heritage Commission, Charles County Tourism, Civil War Roundtable of the District of Columbia, Commissioners of Charles County, the Maryland Historical Trust, the Maryland Humanities, Preservation Maryland, Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium, the Society of Colonial Wars in Maryland and the General Society of Colonial Wars.



Grateful appreciation to our partners for their continued support: Advanced Architectural General Contracting, the African American Heritage Society of Charles County, Charles County Antique Arts Association, the Charles County Archaeological Society of Maryland, the Charles County Garden Club, the Charles County Historic Preservation Commission, Charles County Tourism, Commissioners of Charles County, Dr. Samuel Mudd Society, Farm Heritage Conservancy, General Society of Colonial Wars, Lady Jane Sewell Chapter, Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, Maryland Historical Trust, Maryland Veterans Museum at Patriots Park, Port Tobacco Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Preservation Maryland, Shore United Bank, the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Maryland, Southern Maryland Civil War Roundtable, Southern Maryland Heritage Areas Consortium, the St. Mary’s County Historical Society, the Surratt Society, the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco, the Thomas Stone Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution and the Wallace Bowling Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans.



To Jessica Jennings of the Baynet, thank you for the incredible publicity for Rich Hill. Your articles are amazing!



And a very special heartfelt thanks to all those volunteers who worked diligently for four days and more to make Rich Hill ready to open to the public: Kevin Barry, Rick Boggs, Polly Boggs, Debra Bowling, Garth Bowling, Carol Donohue, Ned Edelen, Joe Gleason, Lee Gootee, Denise Grote, Sandy Harrison, Karl Hense, Kim Hense, Jackie Holson, Benjamin Martinez, Mike Mazzeo, Kathy Quimby, Debra Scoggins, Barbara Spears, Dennis Spears, Mary Vance, Brian Wedding, Terri Wedding; Brandon Burton and his team with Charles County Parks & Grounds.





And finally, with grateful appreciation to the person who had the vision of restoring Rich Hill and who initiated the entire project: Dr. Brad Gottfried, then President of the College of Southern Maryland, (now retired). Thank you!








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