As we near the beginning of March, I thought it would be prudent to highlight some of the Lincoln assassination events that are planned for this month. Remember that you can view these and other, smaller events that might be occurring, by visiting the Calendar section of this site.
March 3rd:
Tickets go on sale for Ford’s Theatre 150th events: Now He Belongs to the Ages: A Lincoln Commemoration, Behind the Scenes Tour with Brian Anderson, and Midnight Tour with James Swanson
Though not an event itself, at 10 am on March 3rd tickets will go on sale to the general public for these three events scheduled during the Ford’s Theatre 150th program.
- Now He Belongs to the Ages: A Lincoln Commemoration is a one time performance taking place inside Ford’s Theatre at 9 pm on April 14th. This event will also be streamed live online.
- A series of three, Behind the Scenes Tours with Brain Anderson are planned over April 14th and 15th. Mr. Anderson is the author of Ford’s Theatre’s newest book, Images of America: Ford’s Theatre. I took his backstage tour back in 2014 and it was very well done.
- At midnight on April 15th, author of Manhunt, James Swanson, will provide his own, insightful tour of Ford’s Theatre.
Ticket sales are already open to members of the Ford’s Theatre Society, and the events will therefore sell out quickly when sales to the general public open on March 3rd.
March 13th:
The musical, Freedom’s Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, starts its run at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Ford’s Theatre operates as a working theater as well as a National Historic Site. They have several productions a year. Their spring musical for 2015 is the show Freedom’s Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. I’m thinking this is a slightly modified version of Frank Wildhorn’s previous musical The Civil War, which I saw at Ford’s Theatre a few seasons back. If I am correct, it is definitely a show to see. It’s not a traditional musical with a concrete narrative but is more of a series of vignettes highlighting different groups and events that occurred during the Civil War. The music is a wonderful mix of genres and is accompanied by voice overs of the words of famous Civil War era figures. Trust me, when a quote from Lincoln comes on and they bring up a solidarity light from inside of the President’s box, it gives you chills. Freedom’s Song runs until May 20th.
March 20 – 22nd:
The Surratt Society’s 16th Annual Lincoln Assassination Conference in Clinton, MD
The Surratt Conference is the Lincoln assassination buff’s “Comic-Con”. Held every year, the weekend conference consists of a special bus tour and welcome reception on Friday, speakers presenting on a multitude of topics on Saturday, and another special bus tour on Sunday. This year’s conference is already close to being sold out due to space constraints. If you haven’t already registered, call the Surratt House Museum at 301-868-1121 to check on availability.
Even if you are not able to join us for this year’s conference, I will be live tweeting the weekend event on my Twitter account (@BoothieBarn) with the hashtag #Surratt15.
March 21st:
Lincoln Symposium at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Ford’s Theatre will be hosting their own Lincoln Symposium on Saturday, March 21st. The event is free, but requires tickets available on a first come first served basis on the day of the event. The day consists of speakers presenting on many topics relating to Lincoln’s life and death. Can’t make it to the Surratt Conference? Well, you’re in luck. Terry Alford, author of a highly anticipated biography of John Wilkes Booth, will be pulling double duty that day. After presenting at the Surratt Conference in the morning, Dr. Alford will make his way to Ford’s and will be presenting at their Lincoln Symposium in the afternoon. This promises to be a wonderful event and I only wish I could duplicate myself in order to attend both conferences at the same time.
March 23rd:
A new exhibit, Silent Witnesses: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination, opens at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
This special exhibit reunites several assassination artifacts from collections around the country. The exhibit runs from March 23rd until May 25th and will be located on the second floor of Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership.
March 28th:
The Lincoln Group of New York presents its Commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy and New York Funeral in New York City, NY
Register by March 20th for this half day symposium put on by the The Lincoln Group of New York. After lunch and a tour of the historic Great Hall of the Cooper Union where Lincoln presented his famous Cooper Union speech, the attendees will retire across the street at the Frederick P. Rose Auditorium at 41 Cooper Square (Third Ave. bet. 6th & 7thSt.) for a series of speeches relating to Lincoln’s life and death. Speakers include Harold Holzer, Frank J Williams, Richard Sloan, Kate Clifford Larson, Michael Kauffman, and ME (Dave Taylor)! Check out this agenda for more information.
Ongoing Events/Exhibits:
Undying Words: Lincoln 1858 – 1865 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL
Remembering Lincoln at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield, IL
A Nation in Tears: 150 Years after Lincoln’s Death at the University of Illinois’ Rare Book and Manuscript Library in Champaign-Urbana, IL
So Costly a Sacrifice: Lincoln and Loss at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, IN
President Lincoln Is Dead: The New York Herald Reports the Assassination at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
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