Washington DC commemorates 150 years since Lincoln assassination

Abraham Lincoln memorial in Washington DC. Image by Mark Fischer / CC BY-SA 2.0

At just after 10pm on 14th April 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was shot as he was sitting in the audience of Ford’s Theatre, Washington DC. He died the next morning at 7:22am. Forty-eight hours of events to commemorate the assassination are planned in the capital, and began on Monday with a recreation of Lincoln’s last ride out to his summer house, on Upshur Street. On Tuesday a candlelight vigil will be held outside Ford’s Theatre all night long for the public to attend, whereas inside the theatre, a sold-out show ‘Now he belongs to the Ages: A Lincoln Commemoration’ will be live-streamed at fords.org from 9pm. On the morning of the 15th, a musical tribute will be performed outside Petersen House, where the 16th president passed away, with Taps being played at precisely 7:22am. At 8am, church bells will toll around the city.

Visitors can see vestiges of the events, including the pistol used by Lincoln’s assassin, and the contents of the president’s pockets on that night, at the Center for Education and Leadership. Read more: washingtonpost.com