Tudor Hall

It appears something with a measure of logic has come out of the year-long fiasco wherein the Harford County Council's Black Box building in Bel Air ended up being vacated. Initially evacuated because of fears that the building may have been on the brink of a disaster, it later turned out a relatively inexpensive re-enforcement is all that was needed to shore up the building. And now the county council is poised to move its operations back into the building, returning the Harford County School Board's meeting room a few blocks away to that body and leaving other offices around the county seat a little less crowded.

At any given time, it's fair to say there are at least a few properties on the market in Harford County that could be described as historic, if the definition of historic simply means old. One such property was brought to the attention of the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners last week when a representative of its owner approached the commissioners about the possibility of the town buying the mansion. The house in question, owned by Judith Graybeal Eagle, is on 2.85 acres near the entrance to the Liriodendron Mansion, a noteworthy property owned by Harford County and operated as part of the county parks system.

On a bare stage with the simplest of lighting, a group of five actors gave life and breath last week to the Booths, one of Harford County's most memorable families.Their performance, titled "What Dreams May Come . . ." and featuring British actress Lynn Redgrave, was the culmination of a day celebrating the life and work of the Booth family -- one of America's theatrical dynasties. It also helped raise funds to preserve Tudor Hall, their former home.Opening with an antique recording of Edwin Booth reading "Othello," the play interwove the story of the Booth family with some of Shakespeare's classics.

It appears something with a measure of logic has come out of the year-long fiasco wherein the Harford County Council's Black Box building in Bel Air ended up being vacated. Initially evacuated because of fears that the building may have been on the brink of a disaster, it later turned out a relatively inexpensive re-enforcement is all that was needed to shore up the building. And now the county council is poised to move its operations back into the building, returning the Harford County School Board's meeting room a few blocks away to that body and leaving other offices around the county seat a little less crowded.

Walking into Tudor Hall last weekend was like walking back in time. Gone were modern-day problems, replaced by the chivalry, elegance andsimplicity of a grand Civil War-era ball.Tudor Hall -- a 150-year-old Gothic Revival two-story, once the home of the Booth family, including John Wilkes Booth, President Abraham Lincoln's assassin -- seemed the perfect setting as 50 people, dressed in period costumes, danced to the music of the 19th century."It's like going back in time, with the gaslight and the candlelight," said Ann Phillips of Fallston, president of the Preservation Association of Tudor Hall, a non-profit group that raises money to restore and maintain the house.

When asked to be or not to be involved in the future of Tudor Hall, Harford County answered with an $810,000 offer to buy the 19th-century home of America's first Shakespearean actors -- and the nation's first presidential assassin, John Wilkes Booth. County officials settle today on the purchase of the two-story, four-bedroom cottage that acclaimed English-born actor Junius Brutus Booth built in 1847 as a country retreat from Baltimore. After his death, his widow raised their 10 children in the home a few miles from downtown Bel Air. Several of those children had successful stage careers, including Edwin Thomas Booth, considered one of America's greatest Shakespearean actors.

PERHAPS fate or poetic justice decreed that a young couple would outbid more organized suitors for Tudor Hall, the home near Bel Air that once belonged to the Booth family.The nearby community college wanted it. Actors Stacy Keach and Hal Holbrook lent support to the college because several members of the Booth family were renowned Shakespearean actors in the 19th century. Historians also have great interest in the property because one of Junius Brutus and Mary Ann Booth's 10 children was John Wilkes, who killed President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

The crowd's relief was almost palpable yesterday, as Robert Baker signed a set of contracts spread on the hood of an old, gray Ford Escort.With his signature, the fate of Tudor Hall -- the former Harford County home of Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth and presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth -- seemed assured.Baker, 29, and his wife, Elizabeth, offered the winning bid of $415,000 at the auction of the Gothic-style house, whose sale had prompted concerns among Harford County residents and history buffs nationwide that the structure might be razed.

Since the days when Junius Brutus Booth had Tudor Hall built in 1847, people have journeyed to the property for a glimpse into the lives of its famous first owners and their dream digs. Some people want to know about the Booths, the first family of American theater, while others are drawn to the architecture of the house that was built by James Gifford, the same man who built Ford's Theater. "Tudor Hall is a place that makes history come alive for people," said Dinah Faber, a Booth historian.

At one time Sunday afternoon teas were quite the fashion. The gentry would dress in their finest clothes and while away a few hours sipping tea, eating cakes and catching up on the latest gossip. The annual Victorian Tea at Tudor Hall in Bel Air is reminiscent of this pleasurable pastime.Tudor Hall noted for its distinctive architecture, was home to the acting family that included Junius Brutus Booth, considred the greatest tragic actor of his time, and his sons Edwin Booth and the infamous John wilkes Booth.

Dinah K. Faber, a writer, photographer and historian who was known as "the Booth Lady" for her preservation work on Tudor Hall, the Harford County home of the famous Booth family, died Sunday of colon cancer at her Colby, Kan., home. She was 62. The daughter of farmers, Dinah K. Faber was born and raised in Colby and graduated in 1967 from Brewster High School. She earned a degree in anthropology from Kansas State University and a master's degree in English in 1980 from the University of Arkansas.

Harford County, situated 25 miles north of Baltimore and nestled against the northwestern shores of the Chesapeake Bay, boasts an eclectic blend of history and modern living. Spanning across 440 square miles of the Baltimore/Washington Metro area, it has a population of about 250,000. The three largest incorporated municipalities in the county are Aberdeen, Bel Air and Havre de Grace, with Bel Air serving as the county seat. Despite its growing population, Harford County still retains its rural charm.

Growing up on a Kansas farm, Dinah Faber fell in love with history - specifically, the history of Western rogues such as Billy the Kid and Jesse James. So when Faber, a freelance writer and historian, moved with her husband to Maryland in 1995, it was only natural that she would fall for one of the most famous - and infamous - families Harford County has produced. Known these days as "the Booth Lady," Faber has spent the past 13 years researching the clan of Junius Brutus Booth (1796-1852)

Since the days when Junius Brutus Booth had Tudor Hall built in 1847, people have journeyed to the property for a glimpse into the lives of its famous first owners and their dream digs. Some people want to know about the Booths, the first family of American theater, while others are drawn to the architecture of the house that was built by James Gifford, the same man who built Ford's Theater. "Tudor Hall is a place that makes history come alive for people," said Dinah Faber, a Booth historian.

On Jan. 23, 1886, Joseph Edwin Hall, 23, married Sarah C. Lee, 20. The ceremony took place in Fallston and was presided over by Thomas Dansbury, "a Minister of Gospel." Joseph Edwin was the youngest of Joseph and Ann Hall's 10 children. The earliest recorded date of the birth of "Young Joe" is 1861 when his mother was held as a slave by Elijah B. Rogers. Young Joe related his memories of his family to researcher Stanley Kimmel in November 1935, recalling how his father lived and worked on the property of the Booth family.

When asked to be or not to be involved in the future of Tudor Hall, Harford County answered with an $810,000 offer to buy the 19th-century home of America's first Shakespearean actors -- and the nation's first presidential assassin, John Wilkes Booth. County officials settle today on the purchase of the two-story, four-bedroom cottage that acclaimed English-born actor Junius Brutus Booth built in 1847 as a country retreat from Baltimore. After his death, his widow raised their 10 children in the home a few miles from downtown Bel Air. Several of those children had successful stage careers, including Edwin Thomas Booth, considered one of America's greatest Shakespearean actors.

Actress Lynn Redgrave will come to Tudor Hall in Bel Air on Saturday to participate in a conference examining the evolution of Shakespearean productions in the United States since the time of the Booth family.The Preservation Association for Tudor Hall (PATH) will conduct the conference, "The Discovered Country: America and the Classical Acting Tradition," beginning at noon at Tudor Hall, the homestead of the Booths, a theatrical family.Junius Brutus Booth, an English-born Shakespearean actor, settled in Harford County in 1822.

For years, people have just wanted to ignore the Gothic-style house at the end of a country road outside Bel Air.Tudor Hall, after all, had always occupied a dubious place in American history: at one time home to both world-renowned Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth and his brother, John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.But now, the four-bedroom brick dwelling is attracting national interest, with an Oct. 16 auction prompting a desperate rush by everyone from history buffs to actors to preserve it."

Harford County officials are looking into buying the spruced-up childhood home of Abraham Lincoln's assassin and turning it into a theater museum. But owning a piece of history won't be cheap. When Tudor Hall was on the auction block in 1999, preservationists urged local officials to acquire the Bel Air property, for fear it could be razed for development. The winning bidders instead gave the once-decrepit house a $400,000 facelift worthy of Extreme Home Makeover, a rehabilitation that sent the price soaring.