Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, Washington, United States

Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. was the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Lincoln died the next morning at Petersen House, across the street. The Petersen House and the theater are preserved together as Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, administered by the National Park Service; programming within the theater and the Center for Education is overseen separately by the Ford’s Theatre Society.

Ford’s Theatre celebrates the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln and explores the American experience through theatre and education. A working theatre, National Historic Site, world-class museum and learning center, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in Washington, D.C., to explore and celebrate Lincoln’s ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expression. It was renovated and re-opened as a theater in 1968. During the 2000s, it was renovated again, opening on February 12, 2009, in commemoration of the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. A related Center for Education and Leadership museum experience opened February 12, 2012 next to Petersen House.

Through its inspiring theatrical productions, live historic interpretation and engaging education programs, Ford’s Theatre offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in America’s past while revealing meaningful connections to today.

The Ford’s Theatre experience will inspire audiences from around the world to become compassionate leaders in their own communities, empowering them to live out Lincoln’s principles in their own lives.

History:
On April 14, 1865—just five days after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House—Lincoln and his wife attended a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre. The famous actor John Wilkes Booth, desperate to aid the dying Confederacy, made his way into the presidential box and shot Lincoln. Booth then jumped down to the stage, and escaped through a rear door.

Following the assassination, the United States Government appropriated the theater, with Congress paying Ford $88,000 in compensation, and an order was issued forever prohibiting its use as a place of public amusement. Between 1866 and 1887, the theater was taken over by the U.S. military and served as a facility for the War Department with records kept on the first floor, the Library of the Surgeon General’s Office on the second floor, and the Army Medical Museum on the third. In 1887, the building exclusively became a clerk’s office for the War Department, when the medical departments moved out.

On June 9, 1893, the front part of the building collapsed, killing 22 clerks and injuring another 68. This led some people to believe that the former church turned theater and storeroom was cursed. The building was repaired and used as a government warehouse until 1911.

It languished unused until 1918. In 1928, the building was turned over from the War Department Office to the Office of Public Buildings and Parks of the National Capital. A Lincoln museum opened on the first floor of the theater building on February 12, 1932—Lincoln’s 123rd birthday. In 1933, the building was transferred to the National Park Service.

On January 21, 1968, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and 500 others dedicated the restored theater. The theater reopened on January 30, 1968, with a gala performance. The presidential box is never occupied.

The theater was again renovated during the 2000s. It has a current seating capacity of 665. The re-opening ceremony was on February 11, 2009, which commemorated Lincoln’s 200th birthday. The event featured remarks from President Barack Obama as well as appearances by Katie Couric, Kelsey Grammer, James Earl Jones, Ben Vereen, Jeffrey Wright, the President’s Own Marine Band, Joshua Bell, Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music, Audra McDonald and Jessye Norman.

After Lincoln was shot, doctors had soldiers carry him into the street in search of a house in which he would be more comfortable. A man on the steps of the house of tailor William Petersen beckoned to them. They took Lincoln into the first-floor bedroom and laid him on the bed – diagonally because of his unusual height. Lincoln died the next morning at 7:22 a.m.

The Petersen House was purchased by the U.S. government in 1896 as the “House Where Lincoln Died”, being the federal government’s first purchase of an historic home. The National Park Service has operated it as a historic house museum since 1933, the rooms furnished as on the night Lincoln died.

The National Historic Site consisting of two contributing buildings, the theater and the Petersen House, was designated in 1932.

Exhibition:
The Ford’s Theatre Museum beneath the theater contains portions of the Olroyd Collection of Lincolniana. Most recently renovated for a July 2009 reopening, the Museum is run through a partnership with the National Park Service and the private non-profit 501(c)(3) Ford’s Theatre Society. The collection includes multiple items related to the assassination, including the Derringer pistol used to carry out the shooting, Booth’s diary and the original door to Lincoln’s theater box. In addition, a number of Lincoln’s family items, his coat (without the blood-stained pieces), some statues of Lincoln and several large portraits of the President are on display in the museum. The blood-stained pillow from the President’s deathbed is in the Ford’s Theatre Museum. In addition to covering the assassination conspiracy, the renovated museum focuses on Lincoln’s arrival in Washington, his presidential cabinet, family life in the White House and his role as orator and emancipator. The museum also features exhibits about Civil War milestones and generals and about the building’s history as a theatrical venue. The rocking chair in which Lincoln was sitting is now on display at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

The Aftermath Exhibits take you to a Washington street in the morning after Lincoln’s assassination. Follow Lincoln’s funeral train back to his hometown in Springfield, Illinois. In an interactive exhibit, learn about the crowds that gathered to mourn the president each time the train stopped.

As Lincoln’s body traveled back to Illinois, authorities hunted for John Wilkes Booth. In our exhibits, follow the 12-day manhunt for Booth and learn about his capture in Virginia. Learn about the trial and fate of Booth’s co-conspirators.

Our exhibits also explore the impact of Lincoln’s life and death on America and across the world. See how he has inspired leaders and view artifacts that show his evolution into a pop culture icon.

Education:
Learn about President Lincoln’s assassination from two men who were there. Actor Harry Hawk and Ford’s Theatre co-owner Harry Ford revisit the events of April 14, 1865. As they reconstruct the sequence of events, they grapple with the question: Could John Wilkes Booth have been stopped? This 35-minute performance explores the key facts of the assassination while capturing the emotions of that fateful night. The production also has been featured in local schools and at the White House.

In addition to our on-site programs and resources, we offer online resources and tools to use in the classroom. Explore the life, leadership, death and legacy of Abraham Lincoln through primary sources and lesson plans developed by our education department and master teachers.