RSS
Home
Murder, mystery and mayhem at Ford's Theatre still draws crowds
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Why visit Ford's Theatre during Abraham Lincoln's bicenntenial year?
One reason: Facts become vivid as you sit in Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site as a Ranger points out the state box where President Lincoln once sat and laughed with his wife and friends before John Wilkes Booth shot him.
Years slip away as you sit in a comfortable balcony seat in the renovated auditorium and imagine Booth climbing the steps you’d used. You can see and walk along the back of the theatre’s balcony where Booth made his way to Lincoln’s seat. You can study the decorated state box where Lincoln, his wife and friends, Clara Harris and her finance, Major Henry Rathbone, enjoyed a play, that long ago night, unaware and unprotected.
Booth didn’t have any problem getting into the President’s box, April 14, 1865. The guard and footman had slipped away from their posts sometime during the play, so Booth entered the small hallway outside the state box, unchallenged.
Why was the president so poorly protected? How could an assassin get so close?
As a famous actor in his time and familiar with Ford's Theatre, Booth knew the play “Our American Cousin” well and waited for a good joke line. When the audience roared in laughter and applause, Booth stepped into the state box and pulled the trigger at point blank range. President Lincoln slumped forward. Booth tried to jump to the stage, but Major Rathbone grabbed him. Booth slashed Rathbone’s arm with his dagger and ripped a long gash down to his bone. Then Booth crashed to the stage, breaking his leg just above the ankle.
The first lady sobbed and cried for help. Clara Harris was covered in Lincoln’s blood and pleaded for someone to stop Booth.
By then the audience and cast could see Booth as he hobbled across the stage in his spurs. Booth barged through a stage door at the back of the stage. He mounted his saddled horse and escaped through the cobbled streets of Washington.
Panic ensued in Ford’s Theatre. The audience and actors stampeded toward exits. Several doctors in the audience pushed against the crowd to get to the president’s state box. Lincoln was in no condition to move far, so they directed men to carry Lincoln across the street to the Petersen house where he later died.
Every day since Ford’s Theatre reopened in February 2009 in time for the bicentennial year of Lincoln’s birth, visitors flash timed tickets to claim a seat in the renovated auditorium and listen to a Ranger-lead discussion of the tragic events surrounding Lincoln’s death. Timed tickets also allow visitors entrance to the Petersen house.
At a recent tour, a Ranger said, millions visit Ford’s Theatre National Historic site yearly. It is one of the most popular sites in Washington, D.C.
If you are planning a visit, free same-day tickets can be picked up from the new lobby or can be printed in advance at home for a small non-refundable service fee.
Since Ford’s Theatre is an active theatre, check operating hours before planning your visit.
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site
Directions:
Located on 10th Street between E and F streets, NW, Washington DC. Closest Metro stops are Metro Center and Gallery Place.
Hours: Varies, since Ford’s is an active theatre. Check www.visit@fords.org or call 202-638-2367 or 800-899-2367.
Admission: Free, but tickets are required.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
