Dr. Mudd House holds 15th Annual Victorian Christmas
Famous home decorated in 19th century style
The historic home of Dr. Samuel Mudd celebrated the holidays in Victorian style last weekend with its 15th annual Victorian Christmas celebration.
The event, held throughout Saturday and Sunday, saw the Waldorf house decorated as it would have been in the period when Queen Victoria reigned in England.
In addition, the home featured a re-creation of a Civil War encampment by re-enactors of the Second Maryland CSA (Confederate States of America)
Infantry Company D.
The event also featured music and refreshments with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus in attendance.
Walking tours were held of the house in which presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth was treated by Mudd for a broken leg in the early hours of April 15, 1865, before continu- ing on his way. The sofa on which Booth was treat- ed can still be found in the house.
Mudd was later arrested and charged with conspir- acy to murder President Abraham Lincoln. Sen- tenced to life in prison, Mudd later helped stem the spread of yellow fever at the prison at Fort Jeffer- son after the prison doctor died, said docent Patricia Gallagher.
His work during the yel- low fever epidemic led to a presidential pardon in 1869, and Mudd returned home to Charles County in March of that year.
“The yellow fever damaged his health, however, and he died in 1883 at the age of 49,” Gallagher said.
The Mudd House, also known as St. Catharine, has been in the Mudd family since 1690, Gallagher said.
The house is currently operated as a museum. All of the items are original to the house or the 19th century time period, said docent Melinda Brown.