Registration opens:
September 01st, 2025

The Black Diamond Incident

Local History Talk

Karen Stone, Division Manager of the St. Mary's County Museums, is back with new information on the Black Diamond Incident!

It has always been said that not a single life was lost during the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. This is said with pride, as it should be. If only it were true.

In the 1860’s, life on the Potomac River was quite different than it is today. Instead of the calm open waters, the river was the frontline of battle. The Potomac was the main lifeline out of Washington D.C. and for the federal government it was the dividing line between the warring sections of the North and South. For the people of St. Mary’s County, it was the source of their livelihood and much of their food; and for some, it became their final resting place. This is a story of that river, and of the men whose lives were lost in the aftermath of the Civil War, in the hunt for the presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. This is for those 87 men and their families, so that they will no longer be forgotten.

This event is part of the Southern Maryland 250th Semiquincentennial, Maryland 250th, and America 250th celebration, commemorating Southern Maryland's contributions to our nation's founding.

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