The Peterson House, Washington DC; Where Abraham Lincoln Died.
Written: Mar 25 '07 (Updated Apr 25 '07)
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Pros: Not as many people visit it as they do Ford's Theater
Cons: Not as many people visit it as they do Ford's Theater
The Bottom Line: The visit to the house takes but minutes. I gained more of the feeling of loss as I stood in the small bedroom alone than in nearby busy Ford's Theater.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: The Peterson House |
Just across the street from Ford's Theater is an unassuming four story brick building with a curved stairway up to the first floor. This is where Abraham Lincoln was brought immediately after being shot so that doctors could attend his serious wounds. As we know, Lincoln didn't make it. He died the next morning in a small room at the back of the house.
The National Parks Service has some entries on their pages that describe the evening and what happened at the Peterson House. Though I rarely place this much information from another source I was moved by the text and felt... I would share it.
Text From the National Parks Site
April 14-15, 1865
The entourage carrying the mortally wounded President proceeded slowly down the staircase in Ford's Theatre and then exited to 10th Street. Dr. Charles Leale, age 23, who was attending Lincoln, described the events which followed:
The crowd in the street completely obstructed the doorway and a captain, whose services proved invaluable all through the night, came to me, saying: "Surgeon, give me your commands and I will see that they are obeyed." I asked him to clear a passage to the nearest house opposite. He had on side arms and drew his sword. With the sword and word of command he cleared the way. We slowly crossed the street. It was necessary to stop several times to give me the opportunity to remove the clot of blood from the opening to the wound. A barrier of men had been formed to keep back the crowds on each side of an open space leading to the house. Those who went ahead reported that the house directly opposite the theatre was closed. I saw a man standing at the door of Mr. Petersen's house, diagonally opposite, holding a lighted candle in his hand and beckoning us to enter...1
Henry Safford, unlike the other boarders who went out that night, decided to spend the evening in the Petersen boarding house. In a 1903 letter, wrote:
I had spent the evening reading in the front room when, about ten o'clock, hearing a disturbance outside, I went to the window and learned that Lincoln had been shot. I hastened down to the front door, and, while standing on the upper steps, the President was brought out of the theatre and into the street towards where I stood. Suddenly those carrying him seemed in doubt as to where they would take him. Quickly realizing the cause of their hesitation, although being alone in the house, I took the responsibility of crying out, "Bring him in here, Bring him in here", which invitation was immediately accepted and he was taken to the bedroom in the rear of the parlors and placed on a bed...2
Mrs. Lincoln was escorted across the street by Major Rathbone, who had been in the box with the First Couple. Rathbone, bleeding severely from the knife wound in his arm, collapsed due to loss of blood after arriving at the Petersen House .
Mrs. Lincoln was joined by Elizabeth Dixon, a close friend of her's and Miss Clara Harris, Rathbone's fiancee. Mary stayed in the Petersen House for the entire night. George and Helga Francis, who rented the front rooms were asked to go downstairs for the evening.
During the night and early morning, guards patrolled outside to prevent onlookers from coming inside the house. A parade of government officials and physicians was allowed to come inside and pay respects to the unconscious President. One of the officials was the Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, who recorded in his diary:
"The giant sufferer lay extended diagonally across the bed , which was not long enough for him. He had been stripped of his clothes. His large arms, which were occasionally exposed, were of a size which one would scarce have expected from his spare appearance. His slow, full respiration lifted the clothes with each breath that he took. His features were calm and striking. I had never seen them appear to better advantage than for the first hour, perhaps, that I was there. After that, his right eye began to swell and that part of his face became discolored..."3
For medical treatment, the physicians continually removed blood clots which formed over the wound where the bullet had entered Lincoln's head. This process relieved the pressure on the brain and maintained breathing. However, the external and internal hemorrhaging continued throughout the night so that on the next day, April 15, 1865, at 7:22 a.m., a doctor leaned over the president and felt his final breath. Lincoln was fifty-six years old.
My Experience
Aside from the stairs going up to the Lincoln rooms there is no other climbing inside. All that is open to the public is the one level.
The Peterson was restored to its 1860s Civil war era appearance in the late 1900s. I was able to take a quiet walk into the building shortly after leaving Ford's Theater. Thankfully I didn't have the same awful experience as I did in the theater that was full of uninterested and loud children visiting on a field trip. I was disappointed in my visit there but that's another review.
Though a few pieces may have been there when Lincoln died, none of the furnishings in the house can be documented as original. It's known that through a series of sales and actions, the original bed Lincoln died in is now displayed in a Chicago Historical Society building in that state. The Ranger I talked to stated the National Parks Service did try to have it returned to the Peterson house to no avail.
I walked up the curved steps and a ranger was posted there. He told me to walk right in. It's a very quick self guided tour through a few small rooms and then out through the back.
I walked through the rooms where Mrs Lincoln and others waited as the doctors tended the president. It was interesting but it was the room where he died that brought a certain melancholy feeling. I have read some of the letters and proclamations Lincoln shared. I also studied some of his accounts of trying to keep the nation as one and the anguish he was going through. I believe we lost a great man that morning in the little bedroom in the rear of the Peterson home. I felt fortunate to have some quiet time, all alone to reflect. That was a special moment.
The Peterson House is part of the Fords Theater National Historic site. It does have its own ink stamp for the Passport to the National Parks system of cancelling pages. The ink stamps on site document the National Site and the date you were there. I was able to get my book stamped Peterson House Washington DC, Mar 15 2007.
I did have a few more questions to ask but because of the one way only design of the place due to its size I had to leave the building and circle around to the front again. Surprisingly after I had such a quiet visit, there was a line at the door letting in small groups at a time. I did make my way to the ranger who was full of good information.
Last Thoughts
I'm pleased I was able to visit this site that is so close to Ford's Theater but doesn't get nearly the same amount of visitors that I could tell. There's not much to it as far as what to see. For me it was just having a few pensive moments to myself and think of what Lincoln did, in keeping the United States as one, has done for me, my family and the world. I believe this is a better world because of the United States place in it.
Ford's Theater Where Lincoln was shot. It's just across the street.
These destinations are a short walk from the Peterson House
International Spy Museum
Spy City Cafe Local eats next to the Spy Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The National Archives This has just reopened and it's bigger and better!!
US Navy Memorial Just a block or two from the American Museum of Art
A Hotel Nearby all
Hotel Harrington, Washington, DC
Other DC Hotels
The Capital Hilton
Fairmont Washington Hotel
International Spy Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The National Archives This has just reopened and it's bigger and better!!
US Navy Memorial Just a block or two from the American Museum of Art
Dining
The Old Ebbit Grill Good Eats near the White House
Spy City Cafe Local eats next to the Spy Museum
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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