Woman From Dover Had a Romantic Relationship With John Wilkes Booth

Lucy Lambert Hale from Dover, might have been with Mr. Booth on the day he killed President Lincoln, one hundred and fifty years ago.

Lucy Lambert Hale was born in Dover on January 1, 1841. Her father was John Parker Hale, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the U.S. Senate.

Lucy had been described as "pretty and precocious", and in fact, counted Robert Todd Lincoln, the eldest son of Abraham Lincoln, as an admirer. Her father had wished the two would get married, but it never happened.

Instead, Lucy fell for one of the great stage actors of the day, John Wilkes Booth. By early 1865, they had even become secretly engaged.

Apparently the two had a falling out at the beginning of the Spring of 1865, yet there are reports the two were seen together in a public room at the National Hotel on the morning of President Lincoln's assassination, April 14, 1865.

There is no evidence to believe that Lucy knew of Booth's plot to kill the President. Still, it is part of Dover's history that one of it's own had relationships with not only the son of a President, but also with the man who killed him.

It's a very interesting story.

Lincoln's connection to Dover also includes one of his saddles which is on display at The Woodman Museum.