Lost History: The Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy in Old Anacostia

For generations following the horseback escape of John Wilkes Booth from Washington City up Good Hope Road SE conspiracy chatter lingered among shop keepers, police and everyday citizens in Old Anacostia about their neighborhood's connections to the plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln.

When Frederick Douglass made his home in the neighborhood in 1877 he heard the conspiracy connections firsthand from those called to testify in the government's prosecution of the conspirators.

Learn about the lost history and unknown relationships of key figures in the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln to Historic Anacostia in a new and unique walking tour offered by local historian, reporter and tour guide John Muller.

Mr. Muller has closely studied the unknown and lost assassination conspiracy history in Old Anacostia for the past decade. His name, as well as community members and friends, including Rev. Oliver "OJ" Johnson, the late Master Historian William Alston-El and others, is included on the Anacostia Heritage Trail signs throughout the neighborhood, including the sign recognizing the escape of John Wilkes Booth through the neighborhood. 

Questions and photography are encouraged throughout the walking tour!

John Muller, author of Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia (2012) and Mark Twain in Washington, D.C.: The Adventures of a Capital Correspondent (2013) has been a local reporter in Old Anacostia and adjacent communities for the past decade for a variety of print and online publications

Muller has presented widely throughout the DC-Baltimore metropolitan area at venues including the Library of Congress, Newseum, Politics and Prose, American Library in Paris and local universities. He is currently working on a book about the lost history of Frederick Douglass on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Muller has been featured on C-SPAN’s BookTV and C-SPAN’s American History TV, as well as in the pages of the Star Democrat and the airwaves of WDVM (Hagerstown) NBC4 (Washington), WPFW, WAMU, WYPR and Delmarva Public Radio.

This is a private walking tour of the Anacostia neighborhood conducted by an authorized local historian.

Meet at the visitor’s center of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

1411 W Street SE.

Wear walking shoes, total travel is 2.5 miles. Parts of the tour are not accessible for people with mobility issues. Tour is not ADA accessible.

Family friendly.

Metro: Anacostia (Green Line) / 92 Bus, V2, B2

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, 1411 W Street Southeast, Washington, United States