The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln April 10, 2009

One hundred forty-three years after President Lincoln was assassinated, take a walk that commemorates one of the saddest moments in American history. From the White House, where Lincoln gave his last speech, to the posh Lafayette Square homes of the army major who struggled with the assassin and the secretary of state who was stabbed by a co-conspirator, the walk continues to the replica of the church where Lincoln worshiped.

Other notable sites include those where Lincoln stayed as president-elect, where his son watched a theater performance the night of the murder, and where Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the new chief executive. The route continues to the front of Ford's Theatre, where the young assassin struck, and the boarding house where the revered 16th president died; it stops in front of "the nest where the egg was hatched," the brick boarding house in today's Chinatown where conspirators plotted the crime of the century. Author Anthony S. Pitch leads this two-hour anecdotal history walk based on his book, They Have Killed Papa Dead! The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, to be published this month.

All tours are two hours long and meet at the Andrew Jackson equestrian statue in the center of Lafayette Square, 16th St. and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Sat., April 11 at 10am and 1pm;
Sun., April 26 at 10am and 1pm

Resident Members $23;
Gen. Admission $31

All tours are the same; register for only one.

Official Website: http://www.smithsonianassociates.org