Ford's Theatre NPS
@FordsTheatreNPS
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Welcome to the official twitter page for Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, National Park Service. Header Image by Carol Highsmith.
Washington, DC 20004
Joined September 2011
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Peak season is almost upon us here at Ford's Theatre. Please be sure to check our online ticket calendar at to see what is available each day! Of course, we recommend taking the ranger tour.
#WashingtonDC
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150 years ago, at this time, in this very spot John Wilkes Booth fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln.
#Fords150
http://t.co/H9rHysm6g2
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President Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 am. Surgeon General Joseph Barnes arranged the deceased president’s hands across his chest and Pastor Phineas Gurley said a prayer. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton solemnly remarked: “Now he belongs to the ages.”
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It is 7:22 am. 1865. President Abraham Lincoln is dead. 'Now he belongs to the ages'
@FordsTheatreNPS
#Fords150
http://t.co/b7icjSaJLR
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Enjoying the play, President Lincoln reaches over to take his wife's hand. Mary jokes, “What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so?” He squeezed her hand and said, "“She won’t think anything about it.” Those were Abraham Lincoln's final words.
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Enjoying the play, President Lincoln reaches over to take his wife's hand. Mary jokes, “What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so?” He squeezed her hand and said, "“She won’t think anything about it.” Those were Abraham Lincoln's final words.
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By some accounts, John Wilkes Booth tangled his foot in an American flag, causing him to break his leg as he leapt down to the stage after shooting President Lincoln. One of the Treasury Guard flags that decorated the President's box is now in our museum collection.
#FlagDay
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Laughing and enjoying the play, President Lincoln holds his wife's hand. Mary jokes, “What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so?” He squeezed her hand and said, "“She won’t think anything about it.” Those were Abraham Lincoln's final words.
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President Abraham Lincoln's coat – which he was wearing the night he was shot at Ford's Theatre – was recently transported from our museum collection to New York City, where this priceless artifact will spend the summer in a special exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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We're approaching the 159th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's death. Follow along with us here and on Facebook this week as we detail Lincoln's final days and the events surrounding his assassination.
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Booth's pistol is later recovered in the President's box and held as evidence. It is now in our museum collection.
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At 7:22 am, President Abraham Lincoln died. “The utmost silence pervaded, broken only by the sounds of strong men's tears…The President breathed heavily until a few minutes before he breathed his last, then his breath came easily, and he passed off very quietly.” - James Tanner
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President Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 am. Surgeon General Joseph Barnes arranged the deceased president’s hands across his chest and Pastor Phineas Gurley said a prayer. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton solemnly remarked: “Now he belongs to the ages.”
2
29
141
John Wilkes Booth reenters Ford’s Theatre and makes his way to the President’s box. A famous actor, no one questions him. Hiding in the small hallway leading to the box, Booth wedges the door shut behind him with a wooden rod and waits for a joke & a laugh to cover his attack.
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140
Hearing the crowd laugh, Booth stepped into the President's box, raised his pistol and fired it into the back of Lincoln's head. The bullet passed through his brain and stopped near the front of his skull.
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125
The morning of April 14, 1865, the Lincoln family sat down for what would be their last breakfast together. Robert shared his eyewitness account of the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. The President was in excellent spirits.
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Do you ever feel we, as a nation, put Abraham Lincoln “on a pedestal”?
What do you think might be a more useful, more complex, or more realistic way to think about or memorialize the 16th president?
Image: Library of Congress
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Next week, we'll commemorate the 157th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's death. Follow along with us as we detail Lincoln's final days & the tragic events leading up to his assassination.
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The street is nearly silent but for the brass band's dirges. Lincoln's lights still burn.
#Fords150
http://t.co/tqnxEmR3Nw
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Stopping on the way to pick up their guests, the Lincolns arrived late at Ford's Theatre. The audience cheered for them as they made their way to the box and settled into their seats.
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During the night, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton assumed control of the investigation and manhunt. Several witnesses confirmed that the assassin was the famous actor John Wilkes Booth. Detectives, police, and the military mobilized to find the conspirators.
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Not wanting the President to die in a theatre, a group of men carry him down the stairs and into the street. The White House is too far away. Standing in the mud and chaos, they look around for a place to take Lincoln.
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Stopping on the way to pick up their guests, the Lincolns arrived late at Ford's Theatre, pulling up front in this carriage. The audience cheered for them as they made their way to the box and settled into their seats.
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President Lincoln & Mary took a carriage ride to the Navy Yard to see the ironclad monitor ship, USS Montauk. She later wrote, “During the drive he was so gay that I said to him, laughingly, ‘Dear husband, you almost startle me by your great cheerfulness'.”
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Laying Lincoln diagonally across a bed in the Peterson House, Dr. Leale, Mary, and others begin a vigil without hope. Robert, members of the Cabinet, friends, and dignitaries arrive through the night. Together, they wait for the end.
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Did you know
#AbrahamLincoln
loved
#cats
? Mary once complained that he liked to “collect cats” as a hobby, and he kept at least two in the White House, Tabby and Dixie given to him by William Seward. Are you a cat person? Or do you have another favorite pet?
#HugYourCatDay
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Major Rathbone turns to confront Booth. Booth drops the pistol and pulls his knife, slashing into Rathbone's arm. Leaping from the box to the stage below, Booth stumbles, shouts at the crowd and escapes out the back.
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President Abraham Lincoln was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois
#OTD
in 1865. Lincoln was placed in the tomb with his son, Willie, who had died in the White House in 1862 and whose coffin was brought with Lincoln’s on the funeral train from Washington.
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After supper at the White House, the President meets with Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax, discussing Reconstruction and other issues. The Lincolns get ready to go out for the evening.
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Laying Lincoln diagonally across a bed in the Peterson House, Dr. Leale, Mary, and others begin a vigil without hope. Robert, members of the Cabinet, friends, and dignitaries arrive through the night. Together, they wait for the end.
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At Lincoln's last cabinet meeting around 11am: “At a Cabinet meeting... at which general Grant was present, the subject of the state of the country and the prospects of speedy peace were discussed. The President was very cheerful and hopeful.” - Secretary of War Edwin Stanton
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“I saw a man standing at the door of Mr. Petersen's house…holding a lighted candle in his hand and beckoning us to enter. This we did, not having been interrupted in the slightest by the throngs in the street.” - Dr. Charles Leale
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Crowds gather in preparation for the 7:22 am wreath laying at the Petersen House.
#Fords150
http://t.co/CqyZYcy7eH
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Closed after Lincoln's assassination, Ford's Theatre was later used as a government records office. 130 years ago today, the overloaded interior of the building collapsed, killing 22 people and injuring 68. Learn more:
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Though they did not meet personally,
#OTD
in 1863, President Lincoln saw John Wilkes Booth perform in the play "The Marble Heart" at Ford's Theatre. Lincoln attended at least 9 performances here during his presidency, but the Nov. 8, 1863 event was the only one Booth acted in.
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“Today we will lay him to rest, amid the scenes he loved so well. Millions will drop a tear to his memory, and future generations will make pilgrimages to his tomb. Peace to his ashes.”
– Illinois State Journal,
#OTD
1865.
#RememberingLincoln
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John Wilkes Booth reentered Ford’s Theatre and made his way to the president’s box. A famous actor, he easily gained entry. Hiding in the small hallway leading to the box, Booth wedges the door shut behind him with a wooden rod and waits for a joke & a laugh to cover his attack.
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6
56
Hearing the crowd laugh, Booth stepped into the President's box, raised his pistol and fired it into the back of Lincoln's head. The bullet passed through his brain and stopped near the front of his skull.
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16
53
“I saw a man standing at the door of Mr. Petersen's house…holding a lighted candle in his hand and beckoning us to enter. This we did, not having been interrupted in the slightest by the throngs in the street.” - Dr. Charles Leale
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One of the most popular artifacts today in our museum is the “Deringer”. But did you know the US Army refused to allow it displayed until 1940? Do you think we should be displaying an artifact that killed a US President?
#MuseumMonday
FOTH 3224
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At 7:22 am Lincoln dies, “The utmost silence pervaded, broken only by the sounds of strong men's tears…The President breathed heavily until a few minutes before he breathed his last, then his breath came easily, and he passed off very quietly.”
James Tanner
#RememberingLincoln
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This
#WomensHistoryMonth
, we recognize the bravery of Harriet Scott. Wife of Dred Scott, they originally filed separate suits challenging their enslavement. While they lost the case, Harriet lived to see freedom, the end of slavery in the United States, and her own citizenship.
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#MuseumMonday
The contents of Lincoln’s pockets from the fateful night: glasses, a pocketknife, Confederate money, and a handkerchief, resemble the modern versions we all might carry everyday. These items reside just down the street at the
@librarycongress
.
Image: LOC
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Meanwhile, 6 blocks away, Lewis Powell follows Booth's orders and attempts to kill Secretary of State William Seward in his home. Several people are wounded and severely injured, but all survive. Powell escaped.
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“Suddenly there was a cheering welcome, the acting ceased temporarily out of respect to the entering Presidential party…I saw in the aisle a few feet behind me, President Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln, Major Rathbone and Miss Harris.” - Dr. Charles Leale
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You can now visit Ford's Theatre every Wednesday-Monday (closed only on Tuesdays) to learn about the events of April 14, 1865, and the lasting impact of Lincoln’s assassination on our nation. Tickets are available now at
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Over the next few weeks, NPS staff will be painting, repairing & cleaning as the set from “Little Shop of Horrors” is removed. It’s this
#historicpreservation
work that helps the building operate as both a popular historic site and a functioning live theatre.
#WashingtonDC
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While living in
#WashingtonDC
, William Seward often rode in this carriage (
@SewardHouse
) that he sometimes shared with
#AbrahamLincoln
.
#OTD
in 1865, William Seward was thrown from this carriage, breaking his right arm and jaw.
#MuseumMonday
Image: Seward House
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Laying Lincoln diagonally across a bed in the Peterson House, Dr. Leale, Mary, and others begin a vigil without hope. Robert, members of the Cabinet, friends, and dignitaries arrive through the night. Together, they wait for the end.
0
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This boot was worn by John Wilkes Booth the night be shot
#AbrahamLincoln
. It was an important piece of evidence against Dr. Samuel Mudd, who treated Booth's injury. It had to be cut and pried from Booth's swollen, broken leg.
#HuntForJWB
#MuseumMonday
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Next week, we'll commemorate the 158th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's death. Follow along with us here and on Facebook as we detail Lincoln's final days and the events leading up to his assassination.
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“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, that let us to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” The 1860 Cooper Union Speech launched the presidency of
#AbrahamLincoln
#OTD
#NYC
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Booth's pistol is recovered and held as evidence. It is now in our museum collection.
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41
#OTD
1861
#JohnWilkesBooth
was in
#Albany
performing in “The Apostate” when the
#LincolnInauguralTrain
was in town. Booth watched the
#AbrahamLincoln
caravan pass his hotel, getting his first glimpse of the new
#president
. 4 yrs later, Booth assassinated Lincoln at
#FordsTheatre
.
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Sending his followers out to kill Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State Seward, Booth leaves his horse in an alley behind Ford’s Theatre and sneaks around to the Star Saloon. He sits in the bar, drinking and waiting.
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A second tragedy occurred at Ford's Theatre
#OTD
in 1893. The interior of the building - being used as a government records office at the time - collapsed, killing 22 people & injuring at least 68 more. Learn more:
#WashingtonDC
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8
40
John Wilkes Booth reenters Ford’s Theatre and makes his way to the President’s box. A famous actor, no one questions him. Hiding in the small hallway leading to the box, Booth wedges the door shut behind him with a wooden rod and waits for a joke & a laugh to cover his attack.
0
9
42
Visiting Ford's Theatre around noon to pick up his mail, John Wilkes Booth learned that President Lincoln would be attending that night's performance. He set off to gather his conspirators & supplies, setting the assassination plot in motion.
0
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Dr. Charles Leale enters the President's box to render aid, finding Mary cradling Lincoln's head and sobbing. Dr. Leale quickly examines the President, discovers the bullet hole, and pronounces the wound mortal. Lincoln continues breathing, but no one can guess for how long.
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Booth's pistol is later recovered in the box and held as evidence. It is now in our museum collection.
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9
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Ford’s Theatre NHS and the Petersen Boarding House remain closed. However, NPS rangers will be outside of both sites, safely social-distanced, to talk with visitors during this important anniversary week.
Join us:
4/14, 9:00am - 5:00pm
4/15, 7:00am - 4:00pm
#RememberingLincoln
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Feb 18 1861,
#AbrahamLincoln
addressed the State legislature in
#Albany
. He spoke of his “awe” for the
#FoundingFathers
, and said that the upcoming battle for the country would be a struggle on behalf of “civil and religious
#liberty
for all time to come.”
#LincolnInauguralTrain
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"The report of a pistol was heard, and a short time after I saw a man in mid-air leaping from the President's box…Then followed cries that the President had been murdered, interspersed with cries of ‘Kill the murderer!'" - Dr. Charles Leale
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Abraham & Mary Lincoln take an afternoon carriage ride around
#WashingtonDC
to visit the ironclad monitor ship, USS Montauk. She later wrote, “During the drive he was so gay that I said to him, laughingly, ‘Dear husband, you almost startle me by your great cheerfulness'.”
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7
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#BostonCorbett
will forever be known as the Union soldier who avenged President
#AbrahamLincoln
’s death by shooting and killing
#JohnWilkesBooth
. But there is more to his story. To read more about this fascinating person who was born
#OTD
in 1832:
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10
37
After a 7-week trial & testimony from 366 witnesses, 4 people were found guilty and sentenced to die for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, and Mary Surratt were hanged on July 7, 1865, here in
#WashingtonDC
.
7
7
39
Having dispatched his followers to carry out plans to kill Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State Seward, Booth leaves his horse in an alley behind Ford’s Theatre and sneaks around to the Star Saloon. He sits in the bar, drinking and waiting.
1
5
39
Over the course of the night, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton assumed control of the investigation and manhunt. Several witnesses confirmed that the assassin was the famous actor John Wilkes Booth. Detectives, police, and the military mobilized to find the conspirators.
0
9
37
Big News: Ford's Theatre will reopen on Wed., May 12, with advance tickets required. Tickets will be available each Friday for the following Wednesday-Sunday. All visitors will be required to follow procedures to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. Read more:
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8
33
While the theatre was closed today, stagehands tore down the set of "Shout, Sister, Shout," NPS curators cleaned exhibits in the museum, easier-to-read captions were installed on some displays, and rangers worked on projects.
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When Congress passed the 13th Amendment to end slavery, President Lincoln was so excited he ceremonially signed his name to the document even though it wasn’t required. Assassinated here at Ford's Theatre in April 1865, he did not live to see it ratified
#OnThisDay
in 1865.
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16
30
Stopping on the way to pick up their guests in their carriage, the Lincolns arrived late at Ford's Theatre. The audience cheered for them as they made their way to the box and settled into their seats.
0
4
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General Ulysses S. Grant & his wife Julia declined the Lincoln's invitation to Ford's, so the Lincolns settle on taking friends Clara Harris & Major Henry Rathbone with them to the theatre that night.
1
5
32
Dr. Charles Leale enters the President's box to render aid, finding Mary cradling Lincoln's head. Dr. Leale quickly examines the President, discovers the bullet hole, and pronounces the wound mortal. Lincoln continues breathing, but no one can guess for how long.
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9
30
#OTD
in 1893, the inside of the Ford's Theatre collapsed, killing twenty-two clerks and injuring sixty-five. This catastrophe occurred because of a botched stabilization effort during which a support beam in the basement gave away, causing a partial collapse of three floors.
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2
31
12 days after he shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, John Wilkes Booth was killed
#OTD
in 1865. Cornered in a Virginia tobacco barn after a long manhunt, Booth was shot in the neck. Looking at his lifeless hands, his last words were "useless, useless."
0
10
31
Following Lincoln's assassination, 8 people were charged in the conspiracy. After a 7-week trial & testimony from 366 witnesses, 4 of the accused were sentenced to die. George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Powell & Mary Surratt were hanged on July 7, 1865, here in
#WashingtonDC
.
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3
29
At 1:26 PM
#OTD
Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, and Mary Surratt were hanged. Many Americans saw the hanging as justice but others argued it was revenge. How do you see their deaths? Do you think any of them should have been spared?
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2
27
On the evening of April 13, 1865, John Wilkes Booth met with 3 of his conspirators in the Herndon House - not far from Ford's Theatre - where he laid out his plans to kill President Abraham Lincoln and other members of his administration.
1
10
28
When General Ulysses S. Grant & his wife Julia decline the invitation to Ford's Theatre, the Lincolns eventually settle on asking friends Clara Harris & Major Henry Rathbone to go with them to the play that night. The choice to accept will change their lives forever.
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2
28
While visiting Ford's Theatre before noon to pick up his mail, John Wilkes Booth learned that President Lincoln would be attending that night's performance. He set off to gather his conspirators & supplies, setting the assassination plot in motion.
0
6
28
The morning of April 14, 1865, started off well for the Lincoln family. They sat down for breakfast together and Robert shared his eyewitness account of the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. The President was in excellent spirits, looking forward to a good day.
2
11
27
At approximately the same time as Booth's attack, on orders from Booth, Lewis Powell attempted to kill Secretary of State William Seward in his home. Several people are wounded and severely injured, but all survive. Powell escaped.
0
6
26
As the nation mourned, the first funeral for President Abraham Lincoln was held in the East Room of the White House
#OTD
in 1865. His body would soon begin a journey through seven states to be viewed by crowds of people before his burial in Springfield, Illinois.
0
5
26
161 years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln took a historic step toward ending chattel slavery in the United States. We celebrate his incredible legacy.
Following the Union victory at Antietam, President Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
#OTD
in 1862. It promised that on January 1, 1863, enslaved people in areas, "in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free."
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30
93
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2
27
George Atzerodt, a conspirator assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson that night, drinks heavily while waiting at the Kirkwood Hotel. He decides to abandon the plan and leaves the hotel.
0
4
27
Major Rathbone turns to confront Booth. Booth drops the pistol and pulls his knife, slashing into Rathbone's arm. Leaping from the box to the stage below, Booth stumbles, shouts at the crowd and escapes out the back.
0
7
27
Meanwhile, 6 blocks away, Lewis Powell follows Booth's orders and attempts to kill Secretary of State William Seward in his home. Several people are wounded and severely injured, but all survive. Powell escaped.
0
5
26
#OTD
in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won 212 electoral votes to earn a second term. Political vindication opened the way for Lincoln to fight the Civil War to completion & begin to heal the rifts that had torn the nation apart.
0
6
25
We're looking for volunteers to assist with daily operations. You'll get to talk to visitors from all over the world and communicate the importance of historic sites like Ford's Theatre. Get more information here:
0
2
25
“Suddenly there was a cheering welcome, the acting ceased temporarily out of respect to the entering Presidential party…I saw in the aisle a few feet behind me, President Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln, Major Rathbone and Miss Harris.” - Dr. Charles Leale
1
1
24
George Atzerodt, a conspirator assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson that night, drinks heavily while waiting at the Kirkwood Hotel. He decides to abandon the plan and leaves the hotel.
0
3
25
John Wilkes Booth reenters Ford’s Theatre, and makes his way to the president’s box. A famous actor, he easily gains entry. Hiding in the small hallway leading to the box, Booth waits for a joke and a laugh to cover his attack.
#HuntForJWB
0
5
23
The morning of April 14, the Lincolns sit down for what would be their last breakfast together. Robert has brought news from the surrender at
#Appomattox
Court House, increasing hopes of an end to the war.
#RememberingLincoln
0
5
24
Not wanting the President to die in a theatre, a group of men carry him down the stairs and into the street. The White House is too far away. Standing in the mud and chaos, they look around for a place to take Lincoln.
0
6
24
With his son Tad by his side, President Lincoln spoke to a large crowd
#OTD
in 1865, outlining his plans for reconstruction & expressing support for Black suffrage. Enraged by any move towards racial equality, John Wilkes Booth vowed: "That is the last speech he will make."
5
5
22
Not wanting the President to die in a theatre, a group of men carry him down the stairs and out into the street. The White House is too far away. Standing in the mud and chaos, they look around for a place to take Lincoln.
0
5
23
“I saw a man standing at the door of Mr. Petersen's house…holding a lighted candle in his hand and beckoning us to enter. This we did, not having been interrupted in the slightest by the throngs in the street.” - Dr. Charles Leale
0
9
24
Thousands of women in the
#UnitedStates
Sanitary Commission provided care to wounded soldiers of the
#CivilWar
. President
#AbrahamLincoln
praised their “voluntary contributions, given freely, zealously, and earnestly...God bless the women of
#America
!"
#WomensHistoryMonth
0
6
21
Dr. Charles Leale enters the President's box to render aid, finding Mary cradling Lincoln's head. Dr. Leale quickly examines the President, discovers the bullet hole, and pronounces the wound mortal. Lincoln continues breathing, but no one can guess for how long.
0
5
23