The childhood home of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, and his family of well-known Shakespearean actors has been designated a Harford County Historic Landmark for its architectural and historical significance.

The home, known as Tudor Hall, was built in 1847 by James Gifford who also built Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., where Lincoln was shot in 1865.

Tudor Hall’s gothic revival architecture incorporates distinctive characteristics such as pointed arches and decorative elements such as porches, dormers and roof gables.

After the Booth family lived there, Tudor Hall was home to enslaved and freed laborers; historian Ella Mahoney; the former owners of The Aegis, Richard and Betty Worthington; lawyer John Clark and others.

Tudor Hall, located in Bel Air, has since been turned into a museum that is operated by the Junius B. Booth Society. The Harford County government now owns the property and the society.

The designation was made possible through a nomination submitted by the Harford County Historic Preservation Commission with the support of the county government.

Historic designations in Harford County assist owners in preserving their property through things such as historic tax credits along with state and federal grants. Historic designations also increase property value and protect property values and investments.

Harford’s Historic Preservation Commission works in collaboration with the Department of Planning and Zoning. For more information about protecting places that make Harford County special, visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/historicpres.

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