After the assassination of Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth made his way to the home of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd in Charles County, Maryland in order to seek treatment for his broken leg. Booth and his accomplice David Herold spent about 12 hours at the farm, as the doctor set his leg and provided Booth with a bed to recuperate in. Earlier, in 1864, Booth had visited with Mudd in his home as he was organizing a kidnapping plan against the President that never came to fruition. Dr. Mudd was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in Lincoln's assassination but was released after almost four years and returned home. Dr. Mudd died at home in 1883.
The Mudd house and farm remained in the family as a private residence for many years before being renovated in the 1970s and turned into a museum. Today, the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Society runs the museum telling the story of Mudd, Booth, and Southern Maryland life in the Civil War era.
During the restoration of the house, many original wall laths and nails were removed. The laths were cut into pieces and sold in the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House giftshop as relics with an original nail glued onto it.
Up for auction is one of these lath and nail relics. It measures approximately 4.25" long by 1.5" wide. Stamped onto the piece, though slightly blurred, are the words "Original Lath and Nail / Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House / Circa 1850". See pictures below for more details.
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