VA -- King George -- Cleydael:
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- Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
- CLEYDA_980208_01.JPG: Booth Escape; Cleydael
- CLEYDA_980208_03.JPG: Cleydael is a Virginia Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places, despite being a relatively new house (1855-59) compared to many others in King George county. The county played an important role in the early history of Virginia and the nation, and still has an amazing wealth of surviving 18th century structures.
"Cleydael" is a small and modest house relative to the social prominence and wealth of its original builders. That is because it was initially built purely as a summer cottage. As a medical man, Dr. Richard Stuart knew the importance of getting his family away from the humidity and risk of malaria at "Cedar Grove", his substantial plantation on the Potomac eight miles away. For safety reasons, the family lived here year round during the Civil War. Yankee gunboats were patrolling the Potomac and the wharf at Cedar Grove was a dangerous place, as it was a main focal point for Confederate smuggling operations bringing scarce medical supplies from Washington.
The principal reasons why Cleydael is on the National Register are twofold: firstly because General Robert E. Lee's two middle daughters Annie and Agnes lived here with their Stuart cousins for several months in the summer of 1861. Secondly, and more dramatically, because of the house's role in the escape of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth.
On April 23, 1865, John Wilkes Booth and his accomplice David Herold came here for food while trying to escape. Dr. Stuart fed them dinner but rapidly became suspicious and refused to let them spend the night. Instead, he sent them to his neighbor, William Lucas, a Free Person of Color, who occasionally took paid passengers to the Port Conway / Port Royal Ferry.
Dr. Stuart was deeply involved in the Confederate underground supply line from Washington City to Richmond and had been imprisoned twice for blockade running medical supplies from Washington to Virginia. The Confederate signal corps headquarters monitoring the Potomac was at Matthias Point, near his property at Cedar Grove. Because of his intelligence service contacts, he probably figured out precisely who Booth was and wanted him off his premises immediately, for fear of being implicated. Dr. Stuart may well have been aware of the earlier kidnapping plot, backed by Confederate intelligence, which would give him additional reason to be concerned.
From the Lucas cabin, Booth wrote Dr. Stuart a sarcastic note thanking him for his limited hospitality, and enclosing a desultory $2.50 payment for the food. Booth first drafted the note to enclose $5, but rewrote it, apparently thinking that $2.50 was a more insulting payment. These two notes were on pages from Booth's pocket diary, and account for two of the supposedly eighteen missing pages.
Dr. Stuart was about to burn the note when his son in law persuaded him otherwise. It was a good thing he did, as the note saved him from being charged as an accomplice. Dr. Stuart was indeed arrested and spent several days in the Old Capitol Prison, but was exonerated and allowed to return home. How much Dr. Stuart in fact knew and whether his testimony was primarily motivated by a sensible desire for self-preservation, is open to speculation.
The preceding from http://www.cleydael.org/index.shtml
- Wikipedia Description: Cleydael
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cleydael, also known as Quarter Neck, is a historic home located near Weedonville, King George County, Virginia. It was built in 1859, and is a two-story, five bay, frame dwelling. It has a standing seam, metal gable roof and wraparound porch. The house served as the summer residence for King George County's wealthiest resident, Dr. Richard H. Stuart.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
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