In the years leading up to April 1865, William and Anna Petersen, both German immigrants, owned and occupied the Petersen House. They raised 10 children on the second and third floors of the home, while opening the basement and first floors to strangers. April 14 changed their family forever.

On Friday, June 10, 2016, our one-act play One Destiny celebrates an incredible milestone: 1,000 performances! This two-character story, which premiered in spring 2007 at Ford’s, is set at Ford’s Theatre itself shortly after the Lincoln assassination.

Mary Lincoln is quite possibly one of the most enigmatic and misunderstood figures in American history. Director of Artistic Programming Patrick Pearson delves into why history is fascinated by the life of Lincoln's First Lady.

The fact that the Ford’s Theatre Museum has several weapons on display should not be surprising. After all, it’s a site where a presidential assassination took place. What is perhaps surprising is that some of the weapons aren’t associated with the “main event” for which Ford’s Theatre is famous: John Wilkes Booth’s successful plot …

Learn about our History on Foot walking tour, "Investigation: Detective McDevitt," from one of the actors who leads visitors through downtown D.C.

Today, most historians and the general public agree that John Wilkes Booth headed the conspiracy to murder the President, cabinet officers and Vice President Andrew Johnson. Throughout the 149 years since the Lincoln assassination, some Americans – and even some historians – have found it difficult to believe…

Spring 2015 will mark 150 years since Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre and the end of the Civil War. Our programming team has tailored the upcoming Ford’s Theatre season’s spring stage productions and special exhibition to focus on the Ford’s 150: Remembering the Lincoln Assassination.

Of all of Lincoln’s advisors, Frederick Douglass stands out as one who helped Lincoln address the issues at the heart of the Civil War. Learn more about their unlikely friendship.

For a time, the Lincoln family was viewed as a portrait of the American dream. When Abraham Lincoln was elected, many thought of him as a man who managed to rise to the highest position in our nation despite being born the son of a lowly farmer.

Desertion was a problem for both the Confederate and the Union armies, even though it was a serious offense punishable by death. Politicians and generals complained that soldiers were being granted leave on the eve of major battles in which their presence was necessary to the cause. After the Battle of Fredericksburg, when morale was…