Ford's Theatre & Lincoln Museum

Frommer's Review

On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was in the audience at Ford's Theatre, one of the most popular playhouses in Washington. Everyone was laughing at a funny line from Tom Taylor's celebrated comedy, Our American Cousin, when John Wilkes Booth crept into the president's box, shot the president, and leapt to the stage, shouting, "Sic semper tyrannis!" ("Thus ever to tyrants!"). With his left leg broken from the vault, Booth mounted his horse in the alley and galloped off. Doctors carried Lincoln across the street to the house of William Petersen, where the president died the next morning.

The theater was closed after Lincoln's assassination and used as an office by the War Department. In 1893, 22 clerks were killed when three floors of the building collapsed. It remained in disuse until the 1960s, when it was remodeled and restored to its appearance on the night of the tragedy.

A much-needed renovation of the theater was completed in 2009, just in time to celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birthday on February 12. Among the improvements: enhanced acoustics, better seating, a remodeled lobby and dressing rooms -- enhancements that don't change the essential historic nature of the theater. The President's Box is still on view, and no, you are not allowed to enter it and sit where Lincoln sat. Ford's remains a working theater, so be sure to consider attending a play: The Rivalry, by Norman Corwin, which re-creates the debates that Lincoln engaged in with Stephen Douglas; and the musical, Little Shop of Horrors, are two productions scheduled for the 2010 season.

Free tours of the theater take place daily, 9am to 5pm, but tickets are required. Order the tickets online, for a small processing fee, or pick up same-day passes at the theater. Tours include either a National Park Service Ranger's interpretive program or a mini-play, each designed to educate the audience about the Civil War in Washington and the events of April 14, 1865. Only the final tours of the day allow visitors to walk through the theater on their own.

The tiny Lincoln Museum on the level below the theater was still under renovation at press time. By the time you read this, the museum should have re-opened and been incorporated into your tour. Also visit the Petersen House across the street.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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