The Booth Mummy: The Exciting Afterlife of the Supposed Lincoln Assassin

An Alternate History

Many important events throughout history have elicited a pseudo-history, but perhaps one of the most bizarre is the story of the John Wilkes Booth mummy.  After assassinating President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, Booth was tracked to the Garrett farm twelve days later, where he was shot and killed. A number of people who knew him identified his body. Some believe, however, that he escaped and lived under several names, including John St. Helen and David E. George, until he committed suicide in 1903. After George's death in Enid, Oklahoma, his body was embalmed and set up for public display in the local furniture store that doubled as a funeral home. Following its stay in Oklahoma, the mummy traveled around the country in side-shows and carnivals, and was even featured at the St. Louis World Fair in 1904. The body's owners always maintained that it was the true John Wilkes Booth.

Click on each image to find out more about the mummy, its travels, and the fascinating people that owned and displayed it.