On Good Friday, in 1865 President Abraham Lincoln and his wife decide to attend a play at a popular theater in Washington D.C. Ford's Theater. Arriving late, Abraham and Mary Lincoln, along with their guests Clara Harris and her Fiancee Major Rathbone settle into the Presidential Box for an evening of entertainment. No one in the box, or the theater for that matter, are aware of the danger lurking in the shadows. With one single shot, famous stage actor, John Wilkes Booth (who incidentally worked at Ford's theater so much he used it as his mailing address) would cement Ford's Theaters place in the history books. You have heard of the story of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, and Booth's manhunt, but have you heard the story of Ford's Theater itself?
The tragic events of that fateful April night in 1865 would halt theater production at Ford's Theater for the next 103 years, and bring the building itself to the brink of demolition. In the months that followed John would attempt to continue to operate Ford's Theater, but after receiving many threats and warnings about attempting to again open the theater, he eventually sold the building to the United States War Department for $88,000 in 1866.
What to do with the building after purchasing it proved to be a tricky matter for the government. The public did not want the theater to be opened again out of respect for President Lincoln, but they also rejected memorializing the building. So, after issuing a proclamation that the building would never again be used as a place of public entertainment, the US Government guts the building and turns it into a government office building. The first two floors of the building would house the Office of Records and Pensions, and the third story would house the Army Medical Museum. For the next approximately 30 years, the building would serve the Government.
However, in 1893 a supporting structure in the basement of the building failed, causing the front portion of the building to collapse, killing 22 employees and inuring 68 others. This second tragedy caused people to claim that the building was cursed. However, the US Government repaired the building and used it as a warehouse into the 20th century.
In 1924, the son of Major Rathbone began a movement to restore the building to it's former use as a theater. Despite public opposition derailing his efforts, he would succeed in putting a plaque on the building that designated it as the site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Then in 1928 the US Government turns control of the building (along with the Petersen House where Lincoln actually died) over to the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks. In 1893, Osborn Oldrody, a Lincoln enthusiast, moved into the Petersen house and displayed his vast collection of Lincoln related objects there. After his death in 1930, his fast collection is moved from the Petersen House to the first floor of Ford's Theater building. In 1932, the building would open as a National Historic Site, but would fail to attract much attention or visitors. However, over time interest in better understanding the assassination grew, and in 1964 new plans would begin to return the building (along with the Petersen House) to their 1865 appearance.
In 1965, restoration of the building begins, with the Lincoln Museum moving to the basement after the arrival of new artifacts increases interest in the museum. The creation of the non-profit Ford's Theater Society in 1968 brought live productions back to Ford's Theater for the first time since the night of Lincoln's assassination.
In the days after the assassination, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton dispatched famous photographer Matthew Brady to the theater to take photographs of the interior. Despite looters already having taken mementos such as the bunting, the photographs taken by Brady in the days after the assassination gave great insight for restoration of the building back to it's 1865 appearance. Thanks to these photographs, the interior of the building looks remarkably similar to it's appearance in 1865. The theater would again open as a National Historic Site in 1968. In 1970, the Ford's Theater Society hosted it's first annual Ford's Theater Gala, which honor Lincoln's life, legacy, and love of the performing arts, and are still held to this day.
Beginning in 1988, the National Parks Service updated the museum, with the Ford's Theater Society and the National Parks Service updated it again in 2007 - 2009. In 2010 a 10 story building was purchased by the Ford's Theater Society, which allowed the museum to expand again. Though originally the Lincoln Museum housed in the building did not emphasize Lincoln's assassination, renewed interest in learning about his assassination led the museum to explore his assassination more thoroughly. The museum now emphasizes the difficulties Lincoln faced, his legacy, and details of the assassination.
If you are a Lincoln buff, this is one historic site you cannot miss. To fully understand Lincoln and his legacy, you need to understand the events of that tragic night and how they changed the course of history forever.
If you want to plan your visit to this site, or visit it virtually while safer at home, please visit their website at https://www.fords.org/.
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