Rich Hill, near Bel Alton, Maryland, was owned by Colonel Samuel Cox during the US Civil War, who harbored sympathies for the Confederate cause. 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.Following Booth's capture, Cox was tried and convicted of aiding Booth, receiving a light sentence. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.