As you may know, today is the anniversary of our 16th President’s assassination! That’s right, it was 145 years ago today that John Wilkes Booth shot Abe Lincoln in the head. I recently read a few books on Lincoln and American history and presidential assassinations (all by the same author whom I am newly obsessed with), so I decided that I need to commemorate this historic day! My friends and I decided to head on over to Ford’s Theatre to see the exact spot where Booth committed the terrible deed.
It. Was. Awesome. So much fun! Tickets are free, and we had such a blast roaming around the theatre and witnessing some very talented re-enactors set the scene of April 14th, 1865. After that, we took some pictures of the Petersen House across the street (where Lincoln died) and a restaurant in Chinatown where John Wilkes Booth and the co-conspirators originally hatched the plan to assassinate the president.
The restaurant is now Wok and Roll, but then, of course, it wasn’t a Chinese food place. It was Mary Surratt’s tavern, and with her help, John Wilkes, Lewis Powell and George Adzerodt murdered the president and made a clean escape (at least for a while). I know all of these awesome facts from the works of Sarah Vowell. You should all read her stuff. She’s funny, REALLY smart, and delivers American history in a way that’s entertaining and interesting, yet you still learn a lot. I did! Also, her audiobooks contain narration from such stars as Stephen Colbert, Seth Green, Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart, David Cook, and many others.
So here are some pictures from the wicked morning:
My friends, the re-enactors, and myself!
The Presidential Box!
Now, I know. It’s nerdy—almost too nerdy to handle. But if being a dork is wrong, I don’t wanna be right!
Send me emails! Chide me for being a nerd!
<3 Shireen
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