Happy International Museum Day! Ford's Theatre re-opened as a museum, national historic site, and theatre in 1968, over 100 years after Lincoln's assassination. Let's take a step back in time and look at the road to becoming the museum you know today. ⬇️ 🩺 1867-1887: Just a few years after Lincoln's assassination, the site was home to the Army Medical Museum. Today, it is known as the National Museum of Health and Medicine, located in Silver Spring, MD. 🎩 1893: The Petersen Boarding House, where Lincoln took his final breaths, was home to the collector Osborne Oldroyd. His personal collection had "over 3,000 articles" related to Abraham Lincoln. When the U.S. government purchased the collection in 1926, those artifacts became the base of our museum collection! 🏛️ 1932: The renovated Theatre building opened as the Lincoln Museum, displaying Oldroyd's artifacts along with exhibits on Lincoln's life and assassination. 🌲 1933: The National Park Service took over the museum and Petersen House. 🛠️ 1965-1968: The NPS restored the historic theatre to its 1865 appearance. Ford's Theatre Society, under founder Frankie Hewitt, began working to bring theatrical productions back to the stage. Have you visited our museum? Share a memory of your time here in the comments below! (fb)

A farewell has never been so Fabulous, Baby! Happy trails to our incredible company and a huge THANK YOU for all the love and PRAISE you’ve given this production. Next up, Season 25-26! (fb)