Extra Credit Questions

[JMadonna]

Laurie, I do not know, but kudos to Joe for getting the entire question correct. This is just one of a multitude of historical facts in Scott Trostel's The Lincoln Inaugural Train.

If true, there is a good chance Lincoln saw future president Benjamin among the party at the grave site.

[RJNorton]

If a weary traveler in 1856 wanted one night's lodging at the Surratt Tavern how much was the traveler charged?

[Gene C]

$0.50 ? A private bathroom? Does that include breakfast? Do they allow pets?
AARP discount?

[RJNorton]

Good try, Gene. But not correct.

As for the meals:

Breakfast cost 37.5 cents.
Supper cost 37.5 cents.
Dinner cost a full half-dollar.
Drinks cost 6.25 cents.

I could not find out about whether this overnight charge included a private bathroom. The tavern's policies on pets and AARP are lost to history.

[L Verge]

That overnight charge did not include a private bathroom - or even a private bed...

[Steve]

$2 a night?

[RJNorton]

I am sorry, Steve, but Gene's guess was closer to the right amount.

[L Verge]

The Surratts also offered livery services for horses of gentlemen travelers who spent the night. They charged more for those services than they did to house the gentlemen.

[Dennis Urban]

I'll go with $.75 per human and $1.00 per horse including feed.

[RJNorton]

Dennis, I am sorry, but Gene's guess is still closest to being correct. (My source says horsefeed ranged from 18 to 50 cents, and livery ran from 25 cents to one dollar at 25 cent increments.)

[Steve]

$ .40 per human?

[RJNorton]

Closer, Steve, but still too high.

[RJNorton]

Guesses are all over the place on this, and I think I shall just give the answer. My source for this is a 1973 research publication entitled "Historical and Architectural Archeological Research at the Surratt Dwelling House-Tavern Clinton, Maryland."

Until the fall of 1855 a one night's stay at the Surratt Tavern was 18.75 cents. But, at that time, the cost for one night's lodging was raised to 25 cents. The paper lists a lot of the various charges at the tavern. For example, one could purchase a quart of whiskey for 25 cents or 50 cents depending on the quality.

Between February 16, 1854, and May 5, 1860, one man named David Barry purchased 926 cigars at the tavern!

[Gene C]

TripAdvisor rates Surratt House as the number #1 of 6 things to do in Clinton, MD
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_R...yland.html

The overnight rate increased due to the new bathtub, butt it's a little small.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_R...&autoplay=

Now if I can only get an extra towel or a mattress.

[L Verge]

Guesses are all over the place on this, and I think I shall just give the answer. My source for this is a 1973 research publication entitled "Historical and Architectural Archeological Research at the Surratt Dwelling House-Tavern Clinton, Maryland."

Until the fall of 1855 a one night's stay at the Surratt Tavern was 18.75 cents. But, at that time, the cost for one night's lodging was raised to 25 cents. The paper lists a lot of the various charges at the tavern. For example, one could purchase a quart of whiskey for 25 cents or 50 cents depending on the quality.

Between February 16, 1854, and May 5, 1860, one man named David Barry purchased 926 cigars at the tavern!

David Barry was actually a very close friend of Surratt, Sr. They had worked together on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in the early days before Surratt moved his family to the new plantation in Surrattsville. Barry had a son who was a love interest of Anna Surratt until he left for war. And, Poppa David even transported Sarah Slater once or twice if I remember correctly.

God bless the U.S. government for confiscating Surratt papers at the time of the assassination. These are now in the National Archives. The tavern records show which D.C. merchants the Surratts did business with as well as who the customers were who bought on credit at the tavern until their tobacco crops went to market.

That unpaid credit category worked wonders for us back around 1980, when we needed some plywood for a project. One of the families who still owed money to the Surratts owned a lumber yard about three miles north. The president of the Surratt Society, Joan Chaconas, went to the lumber yard and talked to the owner - explaining the unpaid bill from 1865. She suggested that he donate the plywood and that we would forgive the debt. Those of you who have met Joan know that it is very difficult for men to say no to her... We got our plywood.

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TripAdvisor rates Surratt House as the number #1 of 6 things to do in Clinton, MD
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_R...yland.html

The overnight rate increased due to the new bathtub, butt it's a little small.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_R...&autoplay=

Now if I can only get an extra towel or a mattress.

You can tell that Gene has toured Surratt House! I love his typo about the bathtub, "butt" it's a little small. We have a hip tube, which literally holds only one's butt with water across the knees. One's legs hang over the side.

You're lucky if you get one towel, Gene, and the mattress isn't coming to the travelers' bedroom because our visitors enjoy seeing the roping and hearing the supposed story of the origin of "Sleep tight."