Ford's Theatre Museum: Bringing Abraham Lincoln To 3-D
It's difficult to know what's more fascinating to see -- the derringer pistol that John Wilkes Booth used to assassinate Abraham Lincoln or the blood-stained suit that Lincoln wore the night he died.
What makes the newly renovated Ford's Theatre Museum truly compelling, though, is that it doesn't just present artifacts, but builds an entire story around Lincoln's life and the times in which he lived.
"In the past, we basically had some unbelievably priceless artifacts but there was no story," said Paul Tetreault, director of Ford’s Theatre Society, which partnered with the National Park Service to remodel the museum. "We wanted to tell the story of Abraham Lincoln's Washington – what were the challenges – and that is the story we get to tell at the new Museum. By the time we get to the end of it, we understand how a horrible tragedy completely changed [everything]. We wanted to tell a story of why what happened at Ford's Theatre mattered."
Scholars and team members spent about two years creating narrative devices that includes video, three-dimensional figures and something akin to a self-guided walking tour within the approximately 6800 square foot space made possible through a partnership between Ford's Theatre Society and the National Park Service.
"My favorite thing about the museum in general is that we were able to expand the story beyond the assassination," said Nicole Murray, formerly education programs manager at the museum. "We learn who he was as a person, president, commander in chief."
The great news for visitors is that the museum is designed in such a way that you can spend hours studying information about Lincoln and the U.S. during the Civil War or you can walk through in about 20 or 30 minutes and catch highlights. Both visitors frequent the museum and are, of course, welcome, Tetreault said.
Even casual visitors will likely learn new information about Lincoln and those times.
"I think the biggest misconception is that Lincoln just happened to come to Ford's one night," said Tetreault. "We have documented proof that he came to Ford's on 12 different occasions. He was a regular attendee of theatre and had a tremendous love of it. One night, things went awry."
And yes, visitors can also go into the actual theatre and see the box where Lincoln was sitting when he was shot.
"One of the most frequent statements is that people want to know if they are stepping into a real place of history," said Allison Alonzy, Ford's visitor services manager. "The inside [of the box] is exactly the way it was when he was assassinated minus the chairs."
HelloWashingtonDC tip: No matter how confident you are about driving, plan to take Metro to Ford's Theatre Museum. Parking is almost non-existent during daytime hours and what is available generally comes at a very high price. Planning a Metro trip is surprisingly easy due to the system's website.
Posted by Nancy Dunham
