WASHINGTON — Exactly 150 years ago, during the overnight hours of April 14-15, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre, changing the course of American history.
Now, for one special moment in time, the historical arc bends to align 1865 and 2015 with 36 hours of free activities continuously from 9 a.m. Tuesday to 9 p.m. Wednesday between Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House across the street, where the president died.
“We’re just offering you a very intimate look at an epic event,” says Patrick Pearson, director of artistic programming at Ford’s Theatre. “You can see the contents of his pockets; you can see his top hat; you can be in the theatre overnight at the time right after he was shot; you can be in the Petersen House at the time when he was dying. … It’s incredibly unprecedented access. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. … You have this cross-section of 1865 and 2015, and hopefully it makes us all realize how we’ve grown, how we’ve changed and how we continue to grow and change.”
The experience kicks off with a commemorative show at 9 p.m. Tuesday called “Now He Belongs to the Ages,” mixing Lincoln’s own words with his favorite music. Anticipating that Ford’s Theatre will reach capacity, the show will be live-streamed at the National Portrait Gallery’s Kogod Courtyard.
“The whole point of this event is to really help to humanize President Lincoln,” Pearson says. “We know so much about him as a politician, as a statesman, and this gives us the opportunity to explore not just that aspect but — oh yeah, he was a father, a friend, a husband, an enemy; he was all of these different things to many different people.”
At 10:15 p.m., around the time the president was shot, a candlelight vigil will begin on 10th Street NW, complete with 150-200 re-enactors dressed in period costume.
“Tenth Street became the nation’s first Ground Zero, because the attack happened inside Ford’s Theatre, and then Lincoln was carried across the street to the Peterson House,” Pearson says.
At 7:22 a.m. Wednesday, the time when Lincoln was pronounced dead, Ford’s Theatre will host a special wreath-laying ceremony with guest speakers and the Federal City Brass Band.
But the event is so much more than these time-stamped activities. Ford’s Theatre has planned a variety of immersive experiences in between.
“What we didn’t want was people just waiting in line with nothing to do,” Pearson says. “So we have historical interpreters in period costume. … You’re waiting in line and all of a sudden someone comes up to you and starts talking about his or her experience 150 years ago, and of course, the time of day dictates the experience, because on the 14th he hadn’t passed away yet. Everyone was talking about the end of the war, the homecoming of soldiers and the freedom of slaves. And then overnight, it shifts to those people who were inside the theater. … And then on the 15th it changes one more time … he’s now gone — what is his legacy; how do we move forward?”
In addition to these historical interpreters, Ford’s will facilitate two guided tours by authors Brian Anderson and James Swanson, who will provide signed copies of their books. There will also be a pair of panel discussions at 12:45 p.m. both days — the first exploring the ties between Lincoln and Nelson Mandela, the second examining how Americans mourn their lost leaders.
Perhaps most exciting, visitors can witness rare artifacts on display, including President Lincoln’s top hat, a bloody American flag that was placed under his wounded head, John Wilkes Booth’s Derringer gun, Mary Todd Lincoln’s cape, the contents of the president’s pockets and a playbill from the show.
“It’s really quite stunning,” Pearson says. “Every time I go in there, my breath gets taken away.”
These items will soon be shipped back to their respective locations across the country, making this week’s commemoration a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It’ll mark the culmination of not only a year’s worth of 150th events at Ford’s Theatre but also four years of anniversary celebrations at various Civil War sites, from Gettysburg to Appomattox.
“We are the very last one,” Pearson says. “It’s where this horrible act happened, but at the same time, what we hope to do at Ford’s is not just focus on the assassination but on the legacy. Yes, this happened, but who was Lincoln, what were his leadership principles, what was his legacy, how can we continue to move his legacy forward?”
As for Pearson, how will he stay awake for 36 straight hours of activities?
“I don’t drink Red Bull or coffee,” Pearson jokes. “But I might start doing that.”
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