The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-25
WHERE
LINCOLN WAS SHOT
FORD's THEATRE-sITE ORIGIN
ALLY OCCUPIED BY CHURCH,
SCENE OF DISASTER IN 1893.

Fords Theater, the scene of the as
sassination of President Lincoln aside
from the interest it inspires because of
that event, had quite a history, first as
the site of the First Baptist Church, for
which it was purchased in 1888 and as
Ford's Theater from December 1861,
until the date of the tragic event of
April IA, 1865. The Baptists first locat-
ed at the corner of 18th and 1 streets
and in 1888 built a house Of worship on
10th street, on the theater site. The
pastor was the Rev. Obadiah Brown, a
clerk in the Post Office department, and
the principal clerk for some years; and
among his members were Amos Ken
dali, who filled various responsible Of
fees, among them that of Postmaster
General; Isaac Clarke, father of DR..
John w. Clark, of the District govern
ment; DR.. Joseph Borrows, Lambert
Tree and j. w Reynolds.
Dr. Brown filled the pastorate till 1850
when Rev. S. p. Hill was called to the
pulpit and served till the church was
sold. He went with the congregation
to the church on 18th street, on the
present site of the builders exchange.
In 1861 the 10th street building was pur-
chased by Mr.. John r. Ford and con-
verified into a playhouse, the buildings
being reconstructed and adapted for
that purpose.
Under the name of Fords Atheneum
the building was opened in December,
1861, and while on the bills the designa-
lions theater and opera house were used
the simple name of "Ford's" was sufl-
cient to locate the building. During the
war such talent as Edwin Forrest, John
Mccullough, John Sleeper Clarke
Stuart Robson, Mr. and Mrs. c. B..
Bishop, Mr.. and Miss Couldock and
Caroline and Peter Richings trod the
boards. December 80, 1862 during the
engagement of the Richings the build
ing was destroyed by fire totally and
the members of the company lost all
their stage property.
In August following the house having
been rebuilt and fitted up the drama
had another start here, the spectacular
Maid Queen" occupying the stage. Miss
Maggie Mitchell and other star per-
formers drew the largest audiences.
The tragedy of April IA, 1860 of
course ended the career of the structure
as place of amusement. The mill
tary took possession and held it until
after the trial of the associates of
Booth. 1t was subsequently purchased
by the government, and the army Me-
dical Museum was located there as well
as the record and pension division of
the surgeon generals office.
1t is a coincidence that it was in the
alley in the rear through which Booth
escaped that his body was brought af-
ter being removed from the arsenal for
delivery to the family and that one of
the speciments in the museum was a
portion of Booths spinal column, show
ing the course of the bail which killed
him. 1t was also here that the body
of Guiteau, the man who killed Presi-
! dent Garfield, was dissected.
June 10, 1898, another terrible event
| took place. in which "old FOrd's Thea
ter" was a central figure. While the
government clerks in the Office were at
work in the morning the floors gave
way and a large portion of the building
was wrecked, many of those in the
structure falling and being covered by
the debris. There were twenty-five
persons killed and many were injured, d
number of them for life.-Washingtor
Star.