Community Overview

Clinton, MD: A Historic Journey from Surrattsville to Robeystown, Reflecting the Legacy of Mary Surratt and the Tragic Connection to President Lincoln's Assassination

When the community that would become Clinton, MD, was founded in the 1770s, it was a crossroads with a few simple buildings. In the 1800s, people called it Surrattsville, after Mary Surratt, who owned the local tavern. Surratt would become infamous in 1865, after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln: After shooting Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth headed to Surratt's tavern to pick up supplies, including weapons, as he attempted to make his escape. Surratt was accused of colluding with Booth, and she would be convicted of participating in the conspiracy to kill the president. She became the first woman to be executed for a crime by the federal government. After Surratt's death, the community was renamed Robeystown, after the local postmaster. In 1878, it would be renamed again, this time to Clinton.