Mary Surratt's boarding house is a Chinese restaurant, still standing just around the corner from Gallery Place Metro. Today, it's Wok and Roll.

April 14, 1865 at Ford’s Theater began with a showing of Our American Cousin, and ended with an assassinated President Lincoln. The Library of Congress has the program from that evening. Pretty incredible to think that people in the audience that night came in ready for an enjoyable night out, and got details about the […]

The Library of Congress has a large collection of graphic arts created over the course of two centuries. They depict famous locations and subjects. There are a large number dedicated to capturing the assassination and aftermath of President Lincoln. Below are an assortment, with descriptions. The text below this work says, “President Lincoln’s Last Reception, […]

This week celebrates the 152nd anniversary of the D.C. Emancipation Act, which ended slavery in the District of Columbia and came eight months before President Abraham Lincoln wrote and delivered the Emancipation Proclamation. It ultimately freed almost 3,000 slaves in Washington. Now, and most years, there is a parade to go along with other events, […]

This photo was taken on March 4th, 1865 on the day Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for a second time. A little over a month later, President Lincoln would be assassinated in Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth and Andrew Johnson would take over. This is such an amazing old photo with terrific details. Click on […]

We woke up this morning to a great email from a GoDCer. It’s a rather interesting story, so we’d like to share it with the community. Since today is Abraham Lincoln‘s birthday, I would like to share the following DC family history regarding our esteemed 16th President. My husband, Frank, is a fifth generation DC […]

What a handsome co-conspirator, looking like a Gap or Abercrombie model.

Walking through the Navy Yard a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon an incongruous plaque embedded on the side of a building. The building was a modern parking garage, similar to dozens around the city, and unremarkable in every particular. Except, of course, the plaque. It read, quite simply; Within this wall is deposited the […]

Abraham Lincoln was sworn in for his second term as president and delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865. There are a couple interesting things we picked out of this photo. First, when you click on the photo to view it in more detail, you can see just how much taller Lincoln is […]

This is the Evening Star, published the day President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Obviously, the main headline focuses on his death and the attempted murder of Secretary William Seward. But this edition of the paper has more to tell. In what we can’t imagine ever happening in today’s newspapers, the Evening Star published a “Special Notice” […]

This is incredible. It’s the actual broadside advertising the play being held at Ford’s Theatre on Friday, April 14th, 1865. This was the play Lincoln and his wife chose to attend. Click the image for great details. Source: Library of Congress

We dug up this powerful image of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession heading down Pennsylvania Avenue on April 19th, 1865. Click on it for better details. Source: Library of Congress

This is the President’s official railroad car in 1865, likely taken around January. Four months later, the car would be used as Lincoln’s funeral car.

Now this is an amazing piece of American history. This is a large campaign banner for Lincoln in 1860. Source: Library of Congress

What a sweet campaign button from 1864! We dug this up on the Library of Congress’ site.

What’s up with this invite? Is Abe trying to tip the balance in the favor of his male advisors? Bizarre … two to one ratio?

You may not know this, but Abraham Lincoln was a bit of a technophile. On June 18th, 1861, “Professor” Thaddeus Lowe ascended to a height of 500 feet above the National Mall, in front of where the National Air and Space Museum now stands. (Wikipedia says June 18th, but this plaque says June 18th). He […]

What an amazing photograph by Mathew Brady.

The one thing I have against the National Archives is that is takes up so much of my time … I get completely engrossed in the images they post online. Here’s a great one, the letter from Lincoln nominating Seward to be Secretary of State. Here’s a great photo of William Seward taken by Matthew […]

The assassination of President Lincoln is one of the most, if not the most, tragic event in the history of Washington. Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre in the evening of April 14th, 1865. A massive hunt for the conspirators ensued in the days following the assassination and the War Department, headed by Edwin Stanton, […]