Tag Archives: Abraham Lincoln
Have a drink, kill a president
Lincoln Assassination What did John Wilkes Booth do the hour before killing Abraham Lincoln? Why, have a drink. Hey, if you’re going to assassinate a president you might want to drink some courage first. Booth spent one hour nursing … Continue reading
Police and fire boxes gain new life
I’ll admit not knowing the following story until becoming a tour guide. Like a lot of statues, I’d walk by these call boxes never knowing they were once the lifeline of police and firemen. It’s not often I find superb … Continue reading
Finally, an honest man in Judiciary Square
How many statues are there of Abraham Lincoln around town? That’s a good question. And, I don’t know the answer. What’s special about this one in front of the D.C. Court of Appeals (Lincoln was a lawyer, after all) is … Continue reading
Small places I love in town – Lincoln portraits
My favorite places aren’t the biggest attractions, but the smaller venues.The personal connections. It’s what makes travel fun. Maybe that’s why I like covering teams just as much on non-game days as the games themselves as a local sports writer … Continue reading
Baptist Alley gets overlooked
I’ve seen several tours of the Lincoln assassination as well as the one I give and one spot that’s often overlooked is Baptist Alley. It’s the rear of Ford’s Theatre where assassin John Wilkes Booth entered and exited. The alley … Continue reading
Under the spreading Lincoln oak tree
An old stump is all that’s left of one of the older trees ever around Washington. The Lincoln Oak, named for president Abraham Lincoln meeting under its expansive branches with local military leaders during the Civil War, was destroyed by … Continue reading
Lincoln’s hands – Urban legend or truth?
Tourists love stories. I could tell them the date, cost and weight/height of statues and they’d forget it as soon as I said it. But the stories, that’s different. Sometimes I’ll tell a PG tale if there is no one … Continue reading
Down by the old, old, old spring house
It is a house of mystery. Well, at least a spring house of mystery. In nearly the middle of Ft. Lincoln Cemetery is a spring house believed to be one of the older structural relics of the American colonization … Continue reading
See Lincoln movie, then come on my free tour
Stephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln” appears Friday and it looks like a blockbuster. After all, who doesn’t love the story of the 16th and maybe the greatest president (over George Washington.) But we all how Lincoln’s story ends, and that’s my tour … Continue reading
One Destiny is one play not to miss
The ticket is just $5. The play is 35 minutes plus a 10-minute question-answer with the actors. And, you can see the museum, too. But forget all of that. One Destiny at Ford’s Theatre doesn’t need any help to make … Continue reading
Consider a Lincoln assassination tour
Sometimes I call it a Lincoln assassination tour. Sometimes it’s a John Wilkes Booth tour. The difference is which angle to take, but the information is 90 percent the same. Just depends on what the audience wants. Here’s a taste … Continue reading
Lincoln inaugural banquet a rousing success
The 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural was a bigger success than the original. Lincoln only gained 39 percent of the popular vote and 18 of 34 states when becoming president in 1861. Soon after the South broke away … Continue reading
5 Questions on Lincoln’s swearing-in and inaugural banquet re-enactments
Abraham Lincoln returns to Washington on March 5 for the sesquicentennial celebration of his first inauguration. John T. Elliff of The Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia explains the importance of the re-enactment of the swearing-in at the Capitol … Continue reading