Tudor Hall in Bel Air Designated as Harford Historic Landmark

The historic Tudor Hall in Bel Air has been designated as a Harford County Historic Landmark for its architectural and historical significance. It was first the home of the Booth family, renowned actors who were instrumental in the development of the American theater. Their infamous son John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, forever overshadowed the family’s artistic achievements. Landmark status helps preserve the stories of the people who have lived and worked there over its 170-year history and safeguards Tudor Hall’s distinctive Gothic Revival architecture.

Beyond the Booth family, Tudor Hall was home to enslaved and later free laborers Joseph and Ann Hall, historian Ella Mahoney, the Worthington, Baker, and the Fox families – each with their own stories about life in Harford County in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The designation was made possible through a nomination submitted by the Harford County Historic Preservation Commission, with support from Harford County Government, which now owns the property, and the Junius B. Booth Society, which operates the museum at Tudor Hall.

“This historic landmark, with its notable architecture serves as an important reminder of our county’s incredibly rich history of triumph and tragedy,” County Executive Bob Cassilly said. “It was the home of a world-famous actor who delighted the masses, but also home to an assassin who took the life of one of our most beloved presidents.”

The Harford County Historic Preservation Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Planning and Zoning, assists owners of historic properties in caring for these valuable parts of our history. For more information about how you can help protect the places that make our county special, visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/historicpres.