Ford's Theater Played Lincoln's Mourning, His Last Act, 154 Years Ago Today April 14th, 1865

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
fords theater from left.jpg

" Octoroon ", the next play's bill is posted elsewhere from Ford's. The joyous displays from D.C.'s Grand Illumination a few days previously are gone, replaced by mourning crepe. April 14th, 1865, 154 years ago today a man ran from the doors of this theater, claimed his horse from the boy he paid to hold it and galloped from the scene. Inside all was chaos, another man's life ebbed away while his screaming wife wore her husband's brains. We do miss you president Lincoln.

If this should be in the Lincoln forum feel free to move the thread? Photos tell our story- the one from April 14th, 1865 seems terribly important.

I can never see the image of Lincoln's box at Ford's Theater without being profoundly shaken. It was there, all the ' what happened ' the night of April 14th, 1865. A murder. The murder of a man whose back was to the bullet responsible for changing History, a man who'd been holding his wife's hand and speaking of future travels. He'd like to see Jerusalem, he told her. It all happened there, right there.

fords  baptist church.jpg

From an LoC map, 1850. Ford's 'new ' theater took the place of an old Baptist church, 10th Street, between F and G Streets.

fords mansion.JPG

The President's House and the route from there to 10th Street. Last trip anywhere.

There are any number of threads on Lincoln's murder. The place it occurred is still there although we aren't any more. We're in none of the places we were 150 years ago and certainly not where he'd have led us. It's a lot to think about, how the mourning crepe draped over Ford's Theater and the entire country is really, still there.

15 1.JPG

In memory of one of the nation's worst night ever, on April 14th, 2019

ford crop.JPG


Circular sign? Incongruous in all the mourning, " Entrance Family Circle ". Ours wasn't again, Father Abraham was missing.

fords family circle.JPG
 
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Ford's Box 7.jpg
 
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.


Got to me. It's quite beautiful. That photo, on April 15th? Evocative 154 years later. I've never looked into it but bet it affected our ancestors so much more strongly- you know how we see ' Where were you when you heard ' of 9/11 , or when Kennedy was shot ( I'm old enough ), or like my mother when Pearl Harbor was attacked? We always know. It's so clear because the whole world changed horrifyingly that moment. Until the last person alive who once heard the news " Lincoln is dead " died themselves, you just know that awful day was theirs.
 
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

View attachment 302718
Walt Whitman?
 
From the Executive Mansion, Ford's was a short trip- close to the Treasury and Patent buildings, Vincent's Orphanage and the Masonic Hall on the other side of the street, described as ' above Pennsylvania on 10th ', between E and F Streets. Mary went home alone, something never considered much.

washginton map with buildings.jpg
 
View attachment 302588
" Octoroon ", the next play's bill is posted elsewhere from Ford's. The joyous displays from D.C.'s Grand Illumination a few days previously are gone, replaced by mourning crepe. April 14th, 1865, 154 years ago today a man ran from the doors of this theater, claimed his horse from the boy he paid to hold it and galloped from the scene. Inside all was chaos, another man's life ebbed away while his screaming wife wore her husband's brains. We do miss you president Lincoln.

If this should be in the Lincoln forum feel free to move the thread? Photos tell our story- the one from April 14th, 1865 seems terribly important.

I can never see the image of Lincoln's box at Ford's Theater without being profoundly shaken. It was there, all the ' what happened ' the night of April 14th, 1865. A murder. The murder of a man whose back was to the bullet responsible for changing History, a man who'd been holding his wife's hand and speaking of future travels. He'd like to see Jerusalem, he told her. It all happened there, right there.

View attachment 302585
From an LoC map, 1850. Ford's 'new ' theater took the place of an old Baptist church, 10th Street, between F and G Streets.

View attachment 302587
The President's House and the route from there to 10th Street. Last trip anywhere.

There are any number of threads on Lincoln's murder. The place it occurred is still there although we aren't any more. We're in none of the places we were 150 years ago and certainly not where he'd have led us. It's a lot to think about, how the mourning crepe draped over Ford's Theater and the entire country is really, still there.

View attachment 302583
In memory of one of the nation's worst night ever, on April 14th, 2019

View attachment 302584

Circular sign? Incongruous in all the mourning, " Entrance Family Circle ". Ours wasn't again, Father Abraham was missing.

View attachment 302586
Great post ! Below is a short video of Ford's Theater I took about 5 years ago when the stage area was being set up for a new play. It just shows how close everything was. Pardon the low quality :redface:

 
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Thank you! Gets to you, adding color. We're so used to sepia, easy to forget that's just an overlay. Black and white images can somehow distance us further from that day. Guessing those stage designers and staff never quite get used to the fact they're right there, where History played out one awful night 154 years ago.

Just a little trivia, in the Dark Horse Comics title Hellboy one of the supporting characters Abe Sapien (aka Langdon Everett Caul) emerged at the same time as Abraham Lincoln's assassination and his first name comes from the president.


I never stopped being astonished at the amount of comprehensive knowledge we have here at CWT. That isn't trivia since the word stems from trivial, it's another connection in Time, IMO. Thank you!
 
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