National Parks With T

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DC Trip 2024➤

Our congressman came through with tickets to visit the White House in October of 2024. So my husband and I took a long weekend to visit Washington, DC. He hadn’t been to many of the sites, so we spent a few days visiting the various National Park Service units. We toured several memorials, monuments and other sites, including Ford’s Theater.

Ford’s Theater➤

Ford’s Theatre began its life in 1833 as the First Baptist Church of Washington before theater owner John T. Ford purchased the building and converted it into a playhouse in 1861. After a fire briefly closed it in 1862, the theater reopened in 1863 and quickly became one of Washington’s most popular entertainment venues. On April 14, 1865, it entered history when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while attending a performance. The federal government later took over the building, and after years of other uses and extensive restoration, Ford’s Theatre reopened in 1968 as a working theater and historic site.

History on Foot➤

From the LBJ Memorial Grove, we took an Uber back across the Potomac to Ford’s Theatre for a program called History on Foot. The walking tour is framed through the eyes of Detective James McDevitt, who was on duty at Washington Metropolitan Police headquarters on the night of April 14, 1865. Just before 10:30 p.m., frantic witnesses rushed in with the news that President Lincoln had been shot at Ford’s Theatre. As the tour unfolded, McDevitt’s story guided us through the investigation and the unfolding Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy, revisiting key locations and reexamining the clues from that night.

The tour covered roughly 1.6 miles through downtown Washington, D.C., with eight stops between Ford’s Theatre and the White House, ending at Lafayette Park. While it did not include entry into the theatre itself, walking the streets where events unfolded made the history feel immediate and immersive. The pacing allowed time to absorb both the story and the surroundings as the city became part of the narrative. As a fan of the Apple TV miniseries Manhunt, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

2024 DC Trip Posts➤

Location: 511 10th Street NW, Washington, DC
Designation: National Historic Site
Date designated/established: 1933
Date of my visit: October 25, 2024