Ford’s Theatre Exterior, Washington DC by Wikimedia Commons
One of the most humbling and unique exposures to America’s history, this tour guides visitors along the events of the last night of President Lincoln’s life. Starting at Ford Theatre and retracing the steps of assassin John Wilkes Booth through the city, the walk takes tourists past other Civil War sites along the way, all led by a guide wearing 1860’s garb to make the evening feel historically accurate.
After being shot in Ford’s Theatre on April 14th, 1865, President Lincoln was taken across the street to the Petersen house, where he passed away the following morning. The theatre and the Petersen house are preserved together as Ford's Theatre National Historic Site.
It had only been five days since General Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, and Abraham Lincoln was taking his wife to see a play at the new theatre. It was then that a young actor named John Wilkes Booth tried to save the Confederacy by assassinating President Lincoln where he sat in the presidential box. Booth then escaped through the reset door and fled to the streets. After the incident, the government deemed that the theatre would never again be used as a place for public entertainment.