Mourning President Lincoln
Lobby of Kresge Library and Archives Reading Room (KL 129), May 2015 (until Memorial Day weekend)
Archives Reading Room open 8:30am-12:00pm M-F.
Kresge Library is hosting an exhibit to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's assassination.
All materials presented in this exhibit are part of the Springer Collection of Civil War and Lincoln history.
The Assassination
On the evening of April 14, 1865, while attending a special performance of the comedy, "Our American Cousin," at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, President Abraham Lincoln was shot.
He died a few hours later.
His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, fled the capital. He was shot and captured on April 26 while hiding in a farm near Bowling Green, Virginia.
Four co-conspirators, Lewis Paine, George Atzerodt, David Herold, and Mary Surratt, were hanged at the gallows of the Old Penitentiary, on the site of present-day Fort McNair, on July 7, 1865.
A nation in mouring
The news of the President’s death spread quickly throughout the nation. Millions of people attended Lincoln's funeral procession in Washington, D.C. on April 19, 1865. As his body was carried by train 1,700 miles through New York to Springfield, Illinois, it was viewed by millions along the route.
The News Spreads Around the World
Across the United States and in Europe, ceremonies were held to honor the slain president.
Commemorations
Lincoln’s death left an enduring mark in American history. Over the years people shared commemorative prints, posters, souvenirs, and more.
Medal prepared
for the Chicago 1933 World Fair
Ceremony in honor of President Lincoln, 1941
1938 commemorative stamp
Last updated 03/27/2015
For questions, contact Dominique Daniel (daniel@oakland.edu)
In providing access to its collections, the Oakland University Archives and Special Collections acts in good faith. Despite the safeguards in place, we recognize that mistakes can happen. If you find on our website or in a physical exhibit material that infringes on an individual’s privacy, please contact us in writing to request the removal of the material. Upon receipt of valid complaints, we will temporarily remove the material pending an agreed solution.