Rich Hill, near Bel Alton, Maryland, was owned by Colonel Samuel Cox, a Confederate sympathizer during the American Civil War. Following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, Cox hid assassin John Wilkes Booth and his companion, David Herold, in a swamp near Rich Hill. Booth and Herold left the property on April 21, crossing the Potomac River in a small boat.[2]
Following Booth's capture, Cox was tried and convicted of aiding Booth, receiving a light sentence.
The house is significant in its own right, showing characteristic features of southern Maryland house construction.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[1]