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.
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