Ford's Theatre

Welcome to Tenth Street, Northwest, and to the somber, red-brick facade of Ford's Theatre. Standing here on the pavement, surrounded by the modern bustle of Washington D.C., I ask you to mentally strip away the contemporary city. …

Descending the stairs from the main lobby, we enter the Lincoln Museum, a thoughtfully curated space situated directly beneath the stage and the seating of the theater above. This subterranean level acts as an immersive prologue…

Deep within the lower level museum, we arrive at a glass display case that commands absolute, chilling attention. Here rests the physical instrument of the tragedy: the actual Philadelphia Derringer used by John Wilkes Booth to…

We now step out of the enclosed hallways and into the main auditorium of Ford's Theatre. The visual impact is immediate. …

Direct your attention upward to the State Box, the elevated, enclosed balcony on the right side of the proscenium arch. This is the epicenter of our historical narrative. …

Following the brutal struggle in the Presidential Box, John Wilkes Booth made a desperate, theatrical bid for escape. Look from the box down to the stage below. …

To complete our understanding of this tragic narrative, we must leave the theater, cross the pavement of Tenth Street, and enter the red-brick building standing directly opposite: the Petersen House. In the chaotic aftermath of…

As we conclude our deeply moving tour of the Ford's Theatre complex, your journey continues into the Aftermath Museum, located in the modern facility adjacent to the Petersen House. Having traced the timeline of the assassination…