The Collapse of Ford's Theater

Above, the front of Ford's Theater in 1982. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A mailer was received today from the Buffalo County (Nebraska) Historical Society.

It got me to thinking about my family's history in Shelton, Nebraska and the collapse of three upper floors of Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. in 1893.

At the time of the collapse, my great-grandfather, Charles S. Lucas (who later became the town doctor of Shelton, Nebraska during the first half of the 20th Century) was working in the building. He escaped injury. I visited Ford's Theater in 1982.

According to the blog, Boothiebarn.com:

On this date, June 9th, in 1893, a part of the three upper floors of Ford’s Theatre collapsed killing twenty two clerks and injuring over 100 more government employees. 

After the assassination of Lincoln, the government immediately seized Ford’s Theatre.  Military guards had been posted to the theatre and access was granted by War Department passes.  Matthew Brady was allowed to photograph the interior and members of the stage crew and orchestra were allowed to retrieve their items from within its walls.  After the execution of the conspirators on July 7th, 1865, John T. Ford was given permission to reopen his theatre.  He announced that the play, “The Octoroon” was to be performed on July 10th.  As is shown on the playbills and broadsides from “Our American Cousin”, “The Octoroon” was initially scheduled for April 15th.  While Ford sold over 200 tickets for the performance, there was also a large uproar over the theatre reopening after what had transpired within her walls.

After threats to the theater were made, Ford decided to close down the theater and the government purchased it.

The government decided its best option was to just retain the property.  They began paying John Ford $1,500 a month to lease his theatre.  By July of 1866, the government bought the property outright for Ford for $88,000.  Even before purchasing the building, the government had started renovating the theatre.  They transformed the interior into a three story office building.  In December of 1865, the Army Medical Museum moved into the third floor of the space.

Above, the restored Presidential Box in Ford's Theater in 1982. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The theater was turned over to the Department of the Interior and was renovated and restored to its 1865 appearance. It became a museum and working theater in 1968.

To read more, go here.