The President is Dead

“What happened in Washington, DC, in the spring of 1865, and in the swamps and rivers, and the forests and fields, of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have ever been made up” (Note to the Reader). 


The Book  

Eight hours. That is all the time John Wilkes Booth had to plan the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward. He succeeded in one assassination and was able to elude the full force of the United States military and citizens for twelve days.

In Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, author James L. Swanson relays the days between the assassination and Booth’s capture. Although it is nonfiction, the book reads like a historical novel. Swanson tells of the terror that gripped Washington, DC for twelve days and the uncertainty of a divided nation. The first two chapters’ detail Booth’s planning and the assassination. The following seven chapters follow the assassin as he races south. Swanson explores the nation’s obsession with the capture of Booth, the War Department’s attempts to round up hundreds of co-conspirators, and the failure to take Booth alive. 

The Place   

When I was four years old, my grandparents took me to visit Washington, DC for the first time. At that young age, I was very interested in all things about Abraham Lincoln. Naturally, my grandparents took me to visit Ford’s Theatre. The theatre is decorated exactly as it was on the night of Lincoln’s assassination, April 14, 1865. The auditorium doubles as a working theatre, putting on various plays throughout the year. In the basement is a museum dedicated to Lincoln, the Civil War, and the assassination. Artifacts include the Deringer pistol Booth used to shoot Lincoln and items from Booth’s flight south.

Just across the street is the Peterson House, where Lincoln died. Visitors can view the back room where Lincoln was laid on a bed too small for his tall frame. You can imagine the numerous doctors hovering over the president, doing their best to make him comfortable. The front parlor is where Mary Lincoln cried for her husband; the next room over was used by Secretary of War Stanton to begin the search for Booth.

Because Ford’s Theatre is a working theatre, there are times when visitors are not allowed in the auditorium. Tickets are also required to visit the theatre. Same-day tickets are free, but harder to get if it is a busy tourist season. You can purchase advance individual tickets online.

Silly Old Bear

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”

“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

“It’s the same thing,” he said (page 147).


The Book  


Growing up, my favorite stuffed animal was a small Winnie-the-Pooh. My favorites VHS tapes were the Disney versions of the classic Hundred Acre Wood stories. But, it wasn’t until recently that I actually read the original book by A.A. Milne.

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, with decorations by Ernest H. Shepard is a collection of ten short stories that introduce the world to the animals Christopher Robin loved. They are narrated by A.A. Milne who tells the stories to Christopher Robin. All of the original characters are included, except Tigger who is introduced in Milne’s second book, The House at Pooh Corner. The stories are familiar and the characters act in the same manner as Disney portrayed them.

The stories have a bit of dry humor that makes them enjoyable for children and adults. Milne interjects commentary and questions from Christopher Robin, making it feel like the reader is watching Milne tell the stories. Broken up into ten chapters, each story has a unique title. My favorite is “Chapter 9 in which Piglet is entirely surrounded by water.” It is retold by Disney in Winnie-the-Pooh and the Blustery Day.

The Place


In the introduction of Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne mentions visiting a bear in the London Zoo. That bear would inspire the stories he wrote in 1926. Not many people know that the bear in the London Zoo actually came from Winnipeg, the capitol of Manitoba, Canada.

Last summer I visited my friend in Grand Forks, ND. There isn’t much to do in Grand Forks, but Winnipeg is only three hours away. In the heart of Winnipeg is Assiniboine Park, similar to Central Park in New York City. The park consists of a conservatory, sculpture garden, children’s garden, zoo, duck pond, and numerous walking trails. In the center of Assiniboine Park is a visitor center with the Pooh Gallery. Visitors can see original sketches from the book and the first versions of the stuffed animals from the stories. A short walk from the Pooh Gallery is the zoo. Right inside the gates is a statue of the original “Winnie” and the man who brought him to London, a lieutenant in the Canadian Army.

You can easily spend all day at Assiniboine Park, but if you are in Winnipeg for several days The Forks is another fun attraction. The Forks is located where the Red River and Assiniboine River converge. There are indoor and outdoor shops and restaurants, piers onto the river, and an outdoor amphitheater. A glass building towers over the fork and allows you to view the surrounding areas of Winnipeg.

The Signers

Signing The Declaration of Independence was “without a doubt an enormous, life-threatening risk, and if the colonies had not been triumphant-and honestly, it’s astounding that they were-these men would have surely been, as they used to say back in the day, fitted with a halter” (Signing Their Lives Away, page 9). 

The Book

Growing up in America, every kid learns about the Founding Fathers: Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Franklin. But, what about the many men who signed The Declaration of Independence? What was their background and how did they end up in Philadelphia in 1776?

Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence seeks to answer those questions. Authors, Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese provide a brief biography of all fifty-six signers and little known facts. The biographies are listed alphabetically by state, just like the signatures on The Declaration of Independence.

The signers included: Elbridge Gerry, the father of gerrymandering in American politics;  Francis Hopkinson, designer of the first American flag; Richard Stockton, the only signer with a rest-stop on the New Jersey Turnpike named after him; and George Taylor, who came to America as an indentured servant. 

The Place 

Philadelphia is full of history. The brick buildings and cobblestone streets hearken back to a time when America was just thirteen loosely affiliated colonies. A tourist destination for decades, Philadelphia is the spot to explore the birth of America. I have been to Philadelphia more times than I can count, but I still enjoy the visit.

The tour of Independence Hall allows you to step into the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed and imagine the arguments for and against a split from Great Britain. Just across the street is the Liberty Bell. Originally it hung in Independence Hall, but has been moved to a spot where all visitors can see it up close.

As a kid, one of my favorite sites in Philadelphia was Franklin Court on Market St. in between 4^th and 3^rd Streets. Above ground is a steel structure that resembles the outline of Benjamin Franklin’s house which  stood on this spot. Underground is the Benjamin Franklin Museum. I enjoyed this site because of a room that was filled with telephones. You can pick up the phones and listen to other historical people talk about Benjamin Franklin. A great hands-on experience for kids!

Note: According to the National Park Service website, the underground museum closed for 18 months (starting June 2011) for a complete renovation. Before you visit, check with the site to see if the museum is open again.