About Remembering Lincoln

Remembering Lincoln is a digital collection brought together by Ford’s Theatre for the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The goal of the project is to localize and personalize the story of the Lincoln assassination for people around the United States and world.

The project
Remembering Lincoln began in October 2013, funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Ford’s Theatre has worked with a host of institutions and individuals to compile this collection. Additional guidance was provided by an advisory group, including leaders in the academic history, public history and digital humanities fields.

While conducting outreach to build the collection, Ford’s Theatre also worked with an audience evaluator and a digital strategist to create logic models detailing project outcomes for defined audiences (teachers, students, enthusiasts, scholars), test those outcomes through focus groups and surveys, and translate those outcomes into a Product Definition Document, which shaped the features of this website. More information about the project’s development can be found on the Ford’s Theatre blog.

Scope of Collection
The scope is intentionally broad, as we hope for this collection to provide a sizable cross-section of responses around the United States and world. Generally, the collection covers items created between April 15, 1865, and June 1, 1866, that document a response to the Lincoln assassination.

This scope, selected during the project’s initial planning meeting, allows for inclusion not just of immediate reactions but also commemorations of the event’s first anniversary.

However, the collection also includes later recollections, which provide fascinating comparisons with immediate responses. How did people remember—and choose to share—their reactions later in life, versus in the moment of crisis?

Contributing to the Collection
Visit our “Submit an Item” page to learn more.