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Tributes marking the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's death are planned for Ford's Theatre, where the beloved president was assassinated. Illustration from a historic photo.
Tributes marking the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's death are planned for Ford's Theatre, where the beloved president was assassinated. Illustration from a historic photo.
What do you say about a public figure so beloved that his charisma remains evident today, 150 years after his death?

     This year marks the 150th anniversary of the death of Abraham Lincoln. The 16th president was assassinated as he watched a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington on April 14, 1865. He died one day later, April 15, at a house across the street. Since then, an estimated 15,000 books have been written about him -- they form a tower in the lobby of the Ford's Theatre Center for Education and Leadership.
     Lincoln continues to be analyzed and idolized. He is the central character in plays (some of which are performed at Ford's Theatre), movies, novels, cartoons and even television commercials.
     As the anniversary of his death approaches, museums are mounting exhibitions. Here are just a few: 

     The Carriage: The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington is displaying the carriage that took Lincoln, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, Maj. Henry Rathbone and his fiancee, Clara Harris, to Ford’s Theatre.
     The black carriage had been presented to Lincoln by a group of New York merchants shortly before his second inauguration, according to the Smithsonian. The carriage will be displayed on the museum’s first floor.
     It is on loan from the Studebaker National Museum of South Bend, Indiana. Shortly after Lincoln’s assassination, Robert Lincoln, the president’s son, sold the carriage to F. B. Brewer of New York. Clement Studebaker bought the carriage from Brewer.
     The carriage will be on display in the museum through May 25.

     Silent Witnesses: Another exhibit about the death of Lincoln is at the Ford’s Theatre museum from March 23 through May 25. The exhibition, "Silent Witnesses: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination," is a collection of artifacts that were in the theater the night of the assassination. The exhibit includes Lincoln’s top hat and coat, Mary Todd Lincoln’s black velvet cloak, fragments of the first lady’s gown, a playbill from the show they were seeing, Our American Cousin, and more.
     For more information about the museum’s exhibit, see the Ford’s Theatre website. Also, on April 14-15, the theater is planning an around-the-clock event marking the anniversary of the president's death. The theater will present a one-act play, One Destiny, along with ranger talks and panel discussions. For a schedule, see the theater's website.

     A Fiendish Assassination: Other museums are also planning tributes, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The exhibit there, "A Fiendish Assassination," April 2-June 30, will focus on the president's death and funerals. For more information, see the museum's website.
 

     Related:

     Mr. Lincoln's (diverse) neighborhood

     Photo Gallery: Mr. Lincoln's neighborhood

     Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Mount Vernon linked

     Folklore shrouds writing of Gettysburg Address

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