Petersen House | |
 February 2012 | |
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| Location | 516 10th St., N.W. (between E and F Sts.) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°53′48.4″N77°1′34.4″W / 38.896778°N 77.026222°W /38.896778; -77.026222 |
| Area | 0.29 acres (1,200 m2) |
| Built | 1849; 176 years ago (1849) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Part of | Ford's Theatre National Historic Site (ID66000034[1]) |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated CP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHS | February 12, 2017 |
ThePetersen House is a 19th-centuryfederal stylerow house in theUnited States inWashington, D.C., located at 516 10th Street NW, several blocks east of theWhite House. It is known for being the house wherePresidentAbraham Lincoln died on April 15, 1865 afterbeing shot the previous evening atFord's Theatre located across the street.
The house was built in 1849 by William A. Petersen, aGermantailor. Futurevice-presidentJohn C. Breckinridge, a friend of theLincoln family, rented this house in 1852.[2] It served as a boarding house in 1865 and has been a museum since the 1930s, currently administered by theNational Park Service.
On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln and his wifeMary Todd were attending a performance ofOur American Cousin whenJohn Wilkes Booth, an actor andSouthern sympathizer, entered the box and shot the President in the back of the head.Henry Rathbone andClara Harris were also in the box with the Lincolns, and Rathbone suffered serious stab wounds while trying to prevent Booth's escape. Doctors includingCharles Leale andCharles Sabin Taft examined Lincoln in the box before having him carried across the street to the Petersen House, where boarder Henry Safford directed them inside.[3]
Upon re-examining Lincoln, only to discover that his extremities were cold, physicians continually removed blood clots which formed over the wound and poured out the excesscerebral fluid and brain matter from where the bullet had entered Lincoln's head in order to relieve pressure on the brain. However, the external and internal hemorrhaging continued throughout the night.
During the night and early morning, guards patrolled outside to prevent onlookers from coming inside the house. Lincoln'sCabinet members, generals, and various members of Congress were allowed to see the President, exceptSecretary of State William Seward, who was nearly killed in an assassination attempt byLewis Powell, one of John Wilkes Booth's henchmen, on the same night as the assassination of Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln died in the house on April 15, 1865, at 7:22 a.m., aged 56.[4] Individuals in the room when he died included his sonRobert Todd Lincoln;SenatorCharles Sumner; generalsHenry Wager Halleck,Richard James Oglesby,Corporal James Tanner, andMontgomery C. Meigs; andSecretary of WarEdwin Stanton. Booth was located in Virginia 2 weeks later and was shot by one of the Union soldiers, SergeantBoston Corbett, dying less than three hours later.
Since 1933, theNational Park Service has maintained Petersen House as a historical museum, recreating the scene at the time of Lincoln's death. The bed that Lincoln occupied and other items from the bedroom were bought by Chicago collectorCharles F. Gunther, and are now owned by and on display at theChicago History Museum.[5][6] Replicas have taken their places.[7] The bloodstained pillow and pillowcases are the ones used by Lincoln.[8] Also featured is a large tower of books about Lincoln.
The house is administered by the National Park Service as part of theFord's Theatre National Historic Site. Usually, the house is open to visitors daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.[9] Admission is free but requires a timed ticket.[3]
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