The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, is set to enrich its collection with a remarkable historic artifact, slated for exhibition later this year.
This artifact is a chair that was utilized at Ford’s Theatre on the fateful night President Lincoln was assassinated. Unlike modern theaters with connected seats, Ford’s Theatre accommodated its audience with over 1,000 individual chairs during the performance of “Our American Cousin” on April 14, 1865. Following Lincoln’s assassination, the federal government acquired the building, and the chairs were subsequently removed.
According to a report from the National Park Service, these chairs likely found temporary use in government offices before being discarded over time as new furniture replaced them, as noted by the ALPLM in a press release.