Ford's Theatre Society and National Park Service Announce Reopening of Petersen House and Aftermath Exhibits

Ford's Theatre Society and the National Park Service announce the Petersen House (the house where Abraham Lincoln died) and the Aftermath Exhibits at the Center for Education and Leadership will reopen to the public for visitation on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Tickets for entries to the full Ford's Theatre campus through May 22 are now available for advance reservation at www.fords.org. A limited number on in-person tickets are available on a first-come basis from the Ford's Theatre box office.

Visits to Ford's Theatre, Ford's Theatre Museum, Petersen House and Aftermath Exhibits are self-guided. Entries are available Wednesdays through Mondays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The campus is closed on Tuesdays. Visit www.fords.org for details on entry schedules and availability.

The following procedures and policies are in place for daytime visitation to mitigate risk of COVID-19:

• Face coverings are required on site.
• Advance tickets are recommended.
• Minimal contact check-in is in place.
• We have implemented increased cleaning.
• A full list of policies is available at www.fords.org/visit/covid-health-and-safety.

April Programming Commemorating the Lincoln Assassination

Ford's Theatre Education hosts a free, interactive history program for students and adult history fans on April 11 at 1:00 p.m. EDT led by a costumed guide, Detective James McDevitt. In this 60-minute program, examine the primary source images and witness statements from the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. Webinar is ideal for 5th- through 12th-grade classrooms and adult history fans. Details and registration available at https://www.fords.org/for-teachers/programs/distance-learning.

The previously announced Abraham Lincoln Institute Online Lincoln Symposium continues on www.fords.org, Facebook Live, YouTube and Twitter with authors Jonathan W. White, Christopher Bonner and Michael Burlingame on April 12 at 4:00 p.m. EDT, and with Thavolia Glymph on April 13 at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Learn more and watch archived performances at https://www.fords.org/visit/virtual-events-and-special-tours/abraham-lincoln-institute-symposium/.

During museum visitation on April 14 at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., and April 15 at 11:00 a.m., a National Park Service Ranger will provide a short history of the Ford's Theatre site from its start as a Baptist Church to a site of commemoration today. Valid Historic Site visit tickets are required.

The National Park Service offers a free outdoor walking tour, The Assassination Story, on April 14 and 15 at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. A Park Ranger will lead this half-hour tour recounting the events and aftermath of Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865. Event does not include entry to Ford's Theatre, Ford's Theatre Museum, Petersen House or Aftermath Exhibits. No tickets or reservations are required.

On the morning of April 15, 2022, the National Park Service will lay a wreath at the Petersen House in commemoration of the death of President Abraham Lincoln.

On April 18 at 1:00 p.m. EDT, Ford's Theatre Education leads Reacting to Lincoln's Assassination- a 60-minute interactive webinar examining primary sources that reveals how individuals reacted to a time of uncertainty following Lincoln's assassination. Registration is free and available at https://www.fords.org/for-teachers/programs/distance-learning/reacting-to-lincolns-assassination e.

The Society continues its previously announced on-demand video streaming of the one-act play One Destiny about the events and people at Ford's Theatre on the days ahead of President Lincoln's assassination. The 40-min production is ideal for students ages eight and older and adult history fans. Register to receive $5 viewing access through June 15 at https://www.fords.org/visit/one-destiny.

The Ford's Theatre education team continues their student-focused Guided Virtual Tours of the historic site and structured webinars and interactive events on Zoom that explore Abraham Lincoln in Civil War Washington, Lincoln's assassination and the investigation into the assassination conspiracy. Ford's Theatre also offers online resources that delve into the impact of the Lincoln assassination on the nation; the vigil on Tenth Street on the night of the assassination; and the journey of Lincoln's funeral train - all through primary sources and first-hand accounts.

Ford's Theatre online resources are available at any time for history fans and learners of all ages. A full list is available at https://www.fords.org/for-teachers/digital-programs.

Online Resources

Lincoln's Assassination
Online resource: https://www.fords.org/for-teachers/digital-programs
A popular 26-year-old actor, Confederate sympathizer and white supremacist named John Wilkes Booth had plotted for months to abduct President Abraham Lincoln and give the Confederacy another chance. Three days before the assassination, hearing the president talk of his plans to bring the nation together-in particular, Lincoln's plans to grant some African American men the right to vote-Booth's plans turned murderous.

Lincoln's Death
Online resource: https://www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/lincolns-death
After John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, soldiers carried Lincoln across Tenth Street, so that he could pass his last moments peacefully, surrounded by those who knew him best. He died in the Petersen family's boarding house at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865.

Investigating the Assassination
Online resource: https://www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/investigating-the-assassination
Why did John Wilkes Booth assassinate President Abraham Lincoln? How did investigators learn what happened and why? Join Detective McDevitt as he conducts his investigation.

The Vigil on Tenth Street
View online: http://www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/lincolns-death/night-on-10th-street
After soldiers carried President Abraham Lincoln into the Petersens' boarding house, a crowd gathered outside on 10th Street to await word. What would happen to their beloved leader? What would happen to the country? Explore the only first-person representation of the scene, and see what eyewitnesses had to say.

Impact on a Nation
View online: https://www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/impact-on-a-nation
News of Abraham Lincoln's assassination spread quickly across the United States and">https://www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/impact-on-a-nation beyond in 1865. Many grieved, but others celebrated the death of a man they considered a tyrant. Reactions to Lincoln's assassination varied and did so in ways that might surprise us. Use this page to investigate how people around the United States and world reacted. What do their feelings about Lincoln's assassination tell us about how they saw the larger questions facing the United States as its Civil War drew to a close?

Lincoln's Funeral Train
View online: https://www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/impact-on-a-nation/lincoln-s-funeral
An estimated seven million people turned out in 11 cities to mourn the slain Lincoln as his funeral train carried his body back to Springfield, IL. See where his funeral train traveled.

Ford's Theatre History
View online: https://www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/fords-theatre-history/
What should happen to a site where a violent event like Lincoln's assassination takes place? Since 1865, people have answered that question many different ways. Explore how Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House have changed since the 1830s.

Remembering Lincoln: A Digital Collection of Responses to the Lincoln Assassination
In 1865, as people around the nation and around the world learned of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, they recorded their reactions in many forms-from written materials like diaries and letters to decorative items like ribbons and flags. Discover personal items and remembrances from the Americans whose lives were touched by the president's death and its national and international aftermath. Website includes more than 850 primary sources drawn from more than 40 libraries, archives, museums and private collections. The website also includes educational resources to make the collection useful to teachers and students. The collection is viewable online at https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org.

Civil War Washington Through the Eyes of Mary Henry (Video)
Explore the city of Washington, D.C. during the Civil War through the eyes of Mary Henry, a young woman who lived in the Smithsonian castle. Recommended for 8th-12th grade students studying the Civil War and Washington D.C. History, this video includes primary source texts and images. Accompanying student activity available. Video: https://youtu.be/EETFPrfWepk.

Explore the History of Ford's Theatre on Google Arts and Culture:
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/fords-theatre

Ford's Theatre Society

One of the most visited sites in the nation's capital, Ford's Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford's Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford's Theatre is the premier destination in the nation's capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln's life and legacy.

Ford's Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford's as a living, Working Theatre producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatregoing public have recognized Ford's for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the Tony-nominated Come From Away and the nationally acclaimed Big River, to the world premieres of Meet John Doe, The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Liberty Smith, Necessary Sacrifices, The Widow Lincoln and The Guard, Ford's Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. In the past decade, the mission of Ford's Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Under the current leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Phebe N. Novakovic and through the lens of Lincoln's leadership and legacy, Ford's today endeavors to advance Lincoln's "unfinished work" with programs and performances that cultivate empathy, encourage dialogue and bridge divides in American life.

For more information on Ford's Theatre and the Ford's Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.

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