Ford's Theatre to Reopen

[wpbinzel]

From Ford's:

"We are delighted to announce that Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service will begin a phased reopening on October 14, 2020. For the last several months, we have been working together to adjust our visitor experience to meet new health and safety guidelines. We are excited to welcome you back to the historic site and share Lincoln’s legacy with you.

"During the first level of our reopening, we will be open Wednesday through Sunday and closed on Monday and Tuesday. Only the museum and theatre will be open; the Petersen House and Aftermath Exhibits will remain closed.

"Starting at 10 a.m. October 13, tickets will be available for October 14-18 historic site visits. Future ticket releases will be on Fridays at 10 a.m. for the following Wednesday-Sunday. For example, tickets for October 21-25 will be available Friday, October 16.

"We expect visitors and staff to comply with all safety protocols.

"We have implemented additional safety measures based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, the American Alliance of Museums and DC Health. Visit our website for more information on advance tickets, limited capacity, mask requirements, wellness checks, social distancing, increased cleaning and one-way paths.

"As we reopen the historic site, we appreciate that not everyone will be ready or able to join us in person. We continue to offer a variety of virtual programming, from Cabinet Conversations to virtual field trips.

"Whether you choose to engage with us at home or in person, we thank you for your ongoing support of Ford’s and our mission to be where Lincoln’s legacy lives."

[LincolnMan]

We welcome this news! Thank you.

[J Hewitt]

I can not figure out how to start a new post, so I am replying to this message. As there is not much written about Taultavull's Star Saloon next to Ford's Theater, maybe you can help me with the following questions:

1. According to the floor plan of Ford’s Theater, there is a passage way from the stage to the Star Saloon. An actor could walk down this passage and go in the side door to the Saloon. My question is; being if that is the case, then what would prevent a saloon patron from going out this door, then getting up on the stage in the middle of act?

2. Do you think Booth went in to the saloon this way or did he go all the way down to the street then in the front door?

3. I have always been intrigued with the saloon. Have you ever been in there to look around and what do they use it for now?

Happy New Year!

[Jim Garrett]

Hi John: Roger asked me to look at your inquiry. My guess is that the side door leading to the wing on the south side of the stage was probably locked most of the time. I would imagine that the side door to Taultavull's saloon was probably left unlocked while the saloon was open. The principal purpose of the alley was for the patrons of both establishments to reach the privies located in Baptist alley.

If I remember correctly, Booth went under the stage, came out the theatre side door, went all the way up to the front of the theatre to do a quick reconnoiter, then went back out the front of the theatre to Taultavull's.

Again, I haven't looked at this material in a very on time, but I believe the saloon building was actually built when Ford's was rebuilt after the fire. The apartment for Harry Ford, being above the alley and the saloon. The part of the building that housed the saloon was used for many different purposes up through the 1930's, at which point it was demolished for a parking lot. It drives me crazy, all the historic and semi-historic buildings torn down for parking lots. Today, the area occupied by Taultavull's houses the HVAC systems for Ford's.

Hope this answers your questions.

[J Hewitt]

Thanks Jim, that pretty much answered everything. I sure wish they would have left Surratt's Boarding house as at was orginally. Maybe one day some one will purchase the building and restore it to orginal. It is an historic landmark even though it was the "nest", as Stanton once said.


Thanks Again!

[Mylye2222]

(12-30-2020 02:27 PM)J Hewitt Wrote:  Thanks Jim, that pretty much answered everything. I sure wish they would have left Surratt's Boarding house as at was orginally. Maybe one day some one will purchase the building and restore it to orginal. It is an historic landmark even though it was the "nest", as Stanton once said.


Thanks Again!

Hope as well. If I'm financially at ease one day, I'd take a Lincoln tour all across the United States!

[Dennis Urban]

(12-30-2020 01:32 PM)Jim Garrett Wrote:  Hi John: Roger asked me to look at your inquiry. My guess is that the side door leading to the wing on the south side of the stage was probably locked most of the time. I would imagine that the side door to Taultavull's saloon was probably left unlocked while the saloon was open. The principal purpose of the alley was for the patrons of both establishments to reach the privies located in Baptist alley.

If I remember correctly, Booth went under the stage, came out the theatre side door, went all the way up to the front of the theatre to do a quick reconnoiter, then went back out the front of the theatre to Taultavull's.

Again, I haven't looked at this material in a very on time, but I believe the saloon building was actually built when Ford's was rebuilt after the fire. The apartment for Harry Ford, being above the alley and the saloon. The part of the building that housed the saloon was used for many different purposes up through the 1930's, at which point it was demolished for a parking lot. It drives me crazy, all the historic and semi-historic buildings torn down for parking lots. Today, the area occupied by Taultavull's houses the HVAC systems for Ford's.

Hope this answers your questions.

I was unaware of the privies in Baptist Alley. Where were they located? The small homes of the two black ladies and the Booth stable were on the south side of the alley. I've seen a post-war picture of the alley taken somewhat later but saw no evidence of privies nor have I ever seen a written reference to them prior to this post. Very curious.

[John Fazio]

John, Jim, et al.:

Steers (a good authority) has Booth entering the theatre from the same rear door (on the east side of the theatre) that he would later use to exit it, then going downstairs and going under the stage to cross to the other (south) side of the theater. From there he made his way up a short flight of stairs which led him to the side door of the theatre, which he used to enter the area between the theatre and Taltavul's, making his way westward toward 10th Street, where he exited the front of the theatre and then made a quick left into the saloon. After he imbibed there, he exited the saloon using the same door he had entered it, then made his way northward across the front of the theatre, then entered the theatre and made his way up the long flight of stairs that led to the dress circle, then across the back of the dress circle to the outer door that led to the passageway that led to the president's box. Yes, one could enter the theatre from Taltavul's by making one's way out the front door and then eastward toward the side door that led into the theatre, but a good guess is that the theatre owners either had someone watching for such an attempt or, more likely, simply did not worry too much about this possibility inasmuch as such an act would be deemed a low-life thing to do, like kids sneaking into a movie house, which would cause great embarrassment to anyone trying it if he or she were caught. The kinds of people who patronized theater would be deemed to be above such kid stuff. See p. 115 of Blood On The Moon. As for Taltavul's, the last time I was at Ford's, I could look into it from the street side, but could not see anything worth seeing. It just look abandoned to me. But this was quite a few years ago.

John

[Tom Bogar]

It was Harry Ford's practice to keep someone (often Peanut John) stationed on a stool by that stage left stage door to monitor who came and went. During intermissions, though, and breaks in rehearsals, that was the door that the actors used to wet their whistle at the Star Saloon (Taltavul's).

[Dennis Urban]

The 1963 book by the National Park Service, Restoration of Ford's Theatre, contains detailed interior drawings of all floors of the building. The first floor plan, page 74, shows this "passage" with it's door from the stage, a rear exterior door into Baptist Alley, a door into Tultavul's, and the door to 10th Street. The four-foot wide passageway is described as "neatly paved and papered" and the stage door which opened inward to the passageway is described as "glass windowed". The inward opening door into the Star measures about twelve feet from the small door exiting to 10th Street. The description does not mention locks on any of these doors. The drawing also depicts four descending stairs just beyond the stage door to access the passageway. This access to the Star directly from the stage must have been popular with the actors during intermissions and at other times while waiting to take the stage.

[J Hewitt]

Thanks to all. Very enlightening.

[wpbinzel]

Least we take it for granted, a tip of the stovepipe hat to Roger Norton, who, through his own effort and expense, allows us to have a forum where such questions can be asked and answered.

[Jim Garrett]

Roger Powell, a ranger at Ford's Theatre for well over 20 years mentioned the privies in the alley, and it does make sense that with a capacity of well over 1,000, there would have to be some sort of relief for theatre patrons.