Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site
At the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site in Washington, history is held within this very small space.
Across the street is the Petersen House, where President Abraham Lincolnd was carried after being shot at Ford’s Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865.
In this modest room surrounded by members of his family and cabinet, Lincoln died at 7:22 AM on April 15, 1865. This room is the setting of a turning point. It was in this room that Edwin Standon, the Secretary of War, spoke the words that would carry forward through history:
“Now he belongs to the ages.”
Ford’s Theatre was preserved relatively early. The federal government purchased the building in 1866, and over time, both the theatre and the Petersen house were protected and interpreted. The site was formally established as a national historic site in 1932 and placed under the care of the National Park Service.
This space is personal, with simple details, and because of this, the weight of what occurred here is easier to understand. This is not a grand space, but a final one.
Read More From Nancy
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial
The sheer size of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial communicates the significance we give to this man’s life. He was a giant among men, and the artist captured that truth in the scale and presence of the monument itself. Marty and I visited this soon after it was completed and I remember how striking […]
Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument
In 2018, I visited the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument in Washington D.C., one of the newer additions to the National Park System at the time. In my pursuit to visit as many National Park historic sites as possible, I often made a point of seeing them soon after they were designated. When Belmont-Paul came […]
Korean War Veteran’s Memorial
In Washington, D.C., the nation’s story unfolds across sweeping lawn and reflecting pools, carved into marble, bronze and stone. Each memorial is scattered through the city’s landscape translated into physical form by artists tasked with shaping our memory. Among the most moving memorials is the Korean War Veterans Memorial. This memorial does not soar skyward but meets […]
