LEONARDTOWN, Md. — St. Mary’s County Government’s Museum Division will host a two-day event on April 26-27, 2025, to honor the 87 lives lost in the Black Diamond disaster during the Civil War. Held at St. Clement’s Island Museum, the free public event will feature activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, including boat rides, a military ceremony, a folk concert, and magic performances. The commemoration recalls a tragic 1865 maritime collision on the Potomac River tied to the pursuit of John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.
The Black Diamond, a Quartermaster Corps barge, was stationed off St. Clement’s Island in April 1865 to block Booth’s escape across the Potomac following Lincoln’s assassination. In the early hours, the steamer Massachusetts, en route from Alexandria, Virginia, to Fort Monroe, collided with the barge in darkness. The Black Diamond sank within three minutes, claiming 87 lives in one of Maryland’s deadliest nautical incidents, according to historical records from the Maryland Historical Trust.
The weekend’s centerpiece is a Sunday military ceremony at 2 p.m., featuring remarks from the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Commander and a wreath-laying on the waterfront. Actress Mary Ann Jung will portray Clara Barton as the keynote speaker, offering a historical perspective on the era. Free water taxi rides to St. Clement’s Island will run until 3 p.m. both days, alongside free museum admission with exhibits on the disaster.
Local artist Angela Wathen’s original painting of the collision will debut at the event, the only known visual depiction of the tragedy. Based on a photograph of the Massachusetts and an image of a similar coal barge, the artwork has been donated to the museum’s permanent collection. Wathen’s piece also appears in “Shipwreck on the Potomac: Disaster in Pursuit of Lincoln’s Killer,” a new book by Museum Division Manager Karen Stone, launching during the weekend. Both Stone and Wathen will sign copies on-site.
Sunday’s post-ceremony reception includes a free concert by the Sibling Rivalry Fiddle Band, a Fredericksburg-based group of teenage siblings playing Civil War-era and American folk music on fiddle, bodhran, tin whistle, and mandolin. On Saturday, magician Peter Wood will perform 19th-century sleight-of-hand tricks from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the museum, followed by a ticketed stage show from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Potomac Gardens.
The 2025 Dinner and a Cruise Series begins Sunday with a “Civil War and St. Clement’s Island” theme, requiring reservations for its 20-ticket limit. For details or cruise bookings, contact the museum at (301) 769-2222 or visit Facebook.com/SCIMuseum.
The event highlights St. Mary’s County’s Civil War history, including Booth’s escape route through southern Maryland, as documented by the National Park Service (nps.gov). It offers a blend of education and remembrance, open to all.