Surratt House Today

[RJNorton]

Many thanks to Rick Smith for sending these photos taken today between tours at Surratt House. Susan Higginbotham and Rick are both pictured. Both of you folks look great!

Rick writes, "Today was Susan's first day working at Surratt House and she did a great job."

[LincolnMan]

You both look great. Thanks for sharing!

[RobertLC]

Great pics!

[L Verge]

I might add also that, on her first day of soloing, Susan was faced with one of our Booth tours, which meant being on duty by 9:30 am (she lives over an hour away) and dealing with a group of at least 20-25 people (half of the group). Just guiding that many through the relatively small house and keeping them together as a group is a great accomplishment. I never have any fears about Susan's knowledge of the history (as author of the excellent historical novel, Hanging Mary - and the amazing contributor to the forum).

On the other hand, this was probably Rick's 100+ time to give a Booth tour. He was the perfect person to pair with Susan on her first day. He has literally "been there-done that" for about twenty years now. Ed Bearss, the retired chief historian for the National Park Service, brings several tours a year through the museum, and if Rick is not on duty, Ed always asks where he is and how he is doing.

We are blessed to have so many caring and knowledgeable volunteers serving at Surratt House. And, I include Bill Binzel in the crew also. He is already a hit and helped us during the conference as well as starting training to be the point man (some call us the potty patrol) on our Booth tours. He'll share some history at various stops, wrangle the kittens ontp the bus, etc. This relieves the pressure on my staff members, who have done this for years (and we have conducted the tours as many as 22 times in one year - the average being about ten a year).

[BettyO]

Both of you look great! Susan's outfit is very correct for the period.

Went on one of Rick's tours on the evening before the Conference - Super!

[Eva Elisabeth]

Neat photos! I second the others - both of you look great!

[Susan Higginbotham]

Thanks, everyone! Great to have all the encouragement. (With the first tour, I wished I had brought my new dog along--she's part cattle dog, so they say, and would have been helpful for herding.)

[wpbinzel]

Thank you, Laurie, for your kind words. As I have come to better understand and appreciate all that you and others, such as Joan Chaconas and Roger Norton, have done to foster research and preserve history, it is an honor and a pleasure to be a small part of it.

And is comes as no surprise that Ed Bearss looks for Rick Smith at Surratt House. Never pass up an opportunity for a tour or conversation with Rick -- you will learn something.

And congratulations to Susan Higginbotham! I have seen her "in action," and she is an excellent docent.

[Rick Smith]

Thanks very much for your kind and generous comments.

There is no question that Surratt House is a unique place. Bill, Betty and Susan certainly know what I mean. Surratt's is special mostly due to the efforts of Laurie Verge, who has made it her life's work to maintain an historic environment that inspires and impels us to give of our best month after month and year after year.

I told Laurie some years ago, after having turned down an opportunity to be an historic interpreter at Harpers Ferry, that I just could not do it; because of my loyalty to Surratt's and because I truly felt beholden to her.

That still holds true.

[L Verge]

(04-23-2017 12:36 PM)Rick Smith Wrote:  Thanks very much for your kind and generous comments.

There is no question that Surratt House is a unique place. Bill, Betty and Susan certainly know what I mean. Surratt's is special mostly due to the efforts of Laurie Verge, who has made it her life's work to maintain an historic environment that inspires and impels us to give of our best month after month and year after year.

I told Laurie some years ago, after having turned down an opportunity to be an historic interpreter at Harpers Ferry, that I just could not do it; because of my loyalty to Surratt's and because I truly felt beholden to her.

That still holds true.

Thank you so much for those words, Rick. They mean a lot to me, but I have been able to keep going because of the special people who volunteer and visit the museum. I love American history, especially the Civil War era, and I want other people to love it too. I've been infected by the "bug," and I want to pass that particular infection on.