Ford's Theatre

On Friday June 13th, we had no study tour scheduled. I was disappointed by this and decided to take matters into my own hands and go to Ford's Theatre, at which President Lincoln was shot in 1865. The building is essentially the same as it appeared nearly 150 years ago, and looks slightly out of place among the much larger and more modern buildings. Due to increased tourism, the National Park Service has attached a modern visitors center and museum onto the original building.

When I arrived, I stood in a line for about 20 minutes only to find out that I had to purchase a ticket before getting in line. Frustrated, I got in line for a ticket, only to find out that the tickets for the main part of the museum had sold out. However, the woman at the desk convinced me that I would still see 75 percent of the "important stuff" if I accepted a free ticket to the main theater and the house across the street in which Lincoln died. I did this and got back in line.

After waiting in line in the rain for another half hour, we were led into the main theater where a park ranger dressed in period clothing told us that he was there the night the President was shot. He told us that Lincoln had gone with his wife, Mary to enjoy a play and celebrate the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army days earlier. He said that the President was late to the play, and as he sat down, the band played "Hail to the Chief". About an hour and a half after Lincoln arrived, John Wilkes Booth arrived. He waited until there was only one actor on stage, then sneaked behind Lincoln, shot him in the head, and jumped down from the Presidential box, breaking his leg in the process. He yelled "Sic semper  tyranins" (Thus always to tyrants) and fled into the night. Lincoln was carried across the street to a house where he died the next morning. Booth was killed days later in a barn in Virginia.

The tour guide mentioned that Booth was part of a larger conspiracy to kill Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State Seward. I thought it was eerie to see the box in which Lincoln was shot. We were not allowed to go in, but the box is draped in American flags and, somewhat oddly has a portrait of George Washington, rather than one of Lincoln. I did not have a ticket to see the museum downstairs, so I headed across the street to see the house where the President died. It is kept as it appeared in 1865 and even has the bed on which Lincoln died. He was a very tall person, so I thought it was strange that he was placed on such a small bed. 

Exiting the house requires visitors to go through a small museum with exhibits on the Lincoln Memorial, Civil War weapons, and Lincoln's impact on the Civil Rights Movement. All this was very interesting, but I regret not being able to see the rest of the museum in the theater.

This was a fun trip, and I encourage anyone who has not yet gone to Ford's Theatre to check it out. Lincoln was one of our greatest Presidents and it was interesting and sad to see where he was assassinated.

The box where Lincoln was shot

The bed where Lincoln died

Chris Doarn