April 14, 1865. President Lincoln is assassinated at Ford’s Theatre. Discover how a nation handled grief and loss, how everyday people experienced a national tragedy, and how we have remembered a fallen leader. Today, in partnership with Ford’s T...
Make your reservation on the Ford's Theatre Society website at the link below. The reservation includes a self-guided tour through the museum, Petersen House (the house where Lincoln died), and Aftermath exhibits. Because Ford's Theatre is an active theatre, some tours or tour elements may occasionally be unavailable. Free, same-day tickets may be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Ford's Theatre box office; supplies are limited.
Ford's Theatre is where President Abraham Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865. Today, Ford's Theatre is a living legacy to Lincoln's love of people and the performing arts, offering four live productions annually. A museum provides context to Lincoln's assasination. <br /><br />Designer and builder: James J. Gifford
(184 words)<br />Ford's Theatre is located on the east side of 10th Street, NW in downtown Washington, DC, bordered by F street to the north and E street to the south.<br />The three-story red brick building is fronted by a brick sidewalk and has connecting buildings on either side. The ground level is painted light gray and features five arched doorways topped with half-moon windows across the front. Five windows with white trim line the second and third floors and a triangular roof with white trim sits atop the structure. A double glass door on the left has an etched sign with an arrow pointing left and text that reads:<br />"FORD THEATRE ENTRANCE"<br />A white sign hung at the center of the ground floor level reads:<br />Ford's Theatre<br />US Department of the Interior<br />National Park Service<br />A white oval sign on the right side of the theater with a finger pointing left reads:<br />Entrance<br />to<br />Family Circle<br />25 cents<br />To the left is the theater entrance which is a connecting building with glass front doors and a sign atop its front awning that reads:<br />"FORD'S THEATRE"<br />END OF DESCRIPTION<br />
Modern offices buildings fill the area along the busy Pennsylvania Avenue. The theatre is a 7 story building with numerous windows and an awning that says "National Theatre."
The Petersen House at 516 10th street was the home of William and Anna Petersen that doubled as a boarding house. On the night of April 14, 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was mortally wounded across the street at Ford's Theatre. Lincoln was carried to a back bedroom in this house, where he died the next morning. <br /><br />Inscriptions<br />Plaque, left front<br />ABRAHAM LINCOLN<br />DIED AT THIS HOUSE<br />APRIL 15, 1865 AT 7:22 A.M.<br />PURCHASED BY THE UNITED STATES<br />IN 1896<br />
(231 words)<br />The Petersen House is located on the west side of 10th Street, NW in downtown Washington, DC, bordered by F street to the north and E street to the south. Ford's Theatre sits directly across 10th street to the east.<br />The building is a three-story red brick rowhouse with green shutters built over a raised basement. A curved staircase rises nine steps from the left to a brown first story front door with tan trim. Two windows are set on the left side of the basement level and first floor, and three windows line the second and top floors. A basement level door sits underneath the staircase.<br />A white oval sign on the front a black iron railing along the second-story landing reads:<br />United States Department of the Interior<br />National Park Service<br />HOUSE WHERE LINCOLN DIED<br />On the left side of the building, between the basement and first floors is a one by two-foot bronze plaque with an emblem in its top left corner of an encircled eagle with a shield on its chest and holding oak leaves and arrows in its talons. An inscription on the plaque reads:<br />ABRAHAM LINCOLN<br />DIED AT THIS HOUSE<br />APRIL 15, 1865 AT 7:22 A.M.<br />PURCHASED BY THE UNITED STATES<br />IN 1896<br />The adjoining building to the left has glass front doors and a sign above that reads:<br />FORD'S THEATRE<br />CENTER FOR EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP<br />END OF DESCRIPTION<br />
American author Nathaniel Hawthorne observed in the 1860s that "the Willard Hotel more justly could be called the center of Washington than either the Capitol or the White House or the State Department." From 1847 when the enterprising Willard brothers, Henry and Edwin, first set up as innkeepers on the corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, the Willard has occupied a unique niche in the history of Washington and the nation.
Twelve Story Beaux-Arts White building on the corner with numerous plaques on the side of the building.
Embrace the outdoors, explore interactive exhbits and stand where history happened by taking the Red Line to visit some of DC's National Park Sites. Each of the parks listed here are 1 mile or less from each metro stop (about a 20 minute walk) or a 10 minute bus ride away.
Silver Line - DC Metro
Step off the Silver Line to take a walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island, or sight see from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Each of the parks listed here are 1 mile or less from each metro stop (about a 20 minute walk) or a 10 minute bus ride away.
Orange Line - DC Metro
Discover lotus and lily flowers at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, or explore the many memorials just a short walk from the Orange Line. Each of the parks listed here are 1 mile or less from each metro stop (about a 20 minute walk) or a 10 minute bus ride away.
Blue Line - DC Metro
From the National Mall and Memorial Parks to the Mount Vernon Trail, travel the Blue Line to see what the southern portion of Washington, DC has to offer. Each of the parks listed here are 1 mile or less from each metro stop (about a 20 minute walk) or a 10 minute bus ride away.
Explore Ford's Theater
On the night of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth. He died in the early hours of April 15, in the small back bedroom of a boarding house across the street. Lincoln, who had struggled through the Civil War to preserve the union, lived long enough to see it maintained but not long enough to help in healing the wounds left by the war. The Theatre where Lincoln was shot and the house where he died, are preserved today.
Tours
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Civil War Washington Tour
Journey back in time, as Ranger Layton from Ford's Theatre National Historic Site guides you on a walking tour around Downtown Washington, DC. You will learn about what life was like in Washington during the American Civil War. The walking tour is about 2 miles and will take you about 3 hours to do. It starts at the Willard Hotel and ends at Ford's Theatre.
