Cherry blossoms and American history in D.C.

I was remiss in my last column about our impromptu visit to Washington, D.C. by not mentioning the famous annual Spring Cherry Blossom Festival at the end of March and the beginning of April. Though we were late for it as this year’s event was from March 26 to April 10, we did enjoy seeing the pale pink and reddish pick flowers on the trees as we walked along the National Mall on route to the White House, Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, D.C. The gift and annual celebration honors the lasting friendship between the U.S. and Japan. It was particularly poignant this year given the recent catastrophic events in Japan. This year organizers coordinated with the Red Cross to give visitors the opportunity to donate to the relief efforts in Japan.

The first ceremony took place on March 27, 1912 when First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. These trees still turn the tidal basin into a cloud of pink each spring for all to enjoy. In 1915, the U.S. government reciprocated with a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan. A group of American school children reenacted the first planting and other activities, effectively holding the first “festival” in 1927. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson accepted 3,800 more trees in 1965 and by 1981 the cycle of giving came full circle, Japanese horticulturists were given cuttings from trees to replace some in Japan that were destroyed in a flood. By 1944, the festival was expanded to two weeks to accommodate a diverse activity schedule, including exhibits and parades during the blooming period. Today, more than a million people visit to usher in spring in our nation’s capital.

After we admired the blooming trees, we took in a tour of the historic Ford’s Theatre. Tours are given hourly throughout the day beginning at 9:30 a.m. It consists of a presentation in the theater by a volunteer dressed in the clothes of the period who describes the history of the theatre and the events of the night of President Lincoln’s assassination. We found it fascinating that while the theater has been modernized and expanded since Lincoln’s time, the box where Lincoln sat on that fateful night, April 15, 1865, has been restored to look exactly as it did then. The box is on the upper right hand side of the stage and is draped on both sides with the American flag with a picture of George Washington is in the middle. There was no presidential seal at that time so since no one represented the presidency better than Washington, his picture was used as the “seal” then. The same wooden chairs that the president and his party sat in are also in the box.

The first building on the site of the theater was the First Baptist Church built in 1833. It eventually merged with the Fourth Baptist Church in 1859 and then leased to John T. Ford in 1861 who later bought it and turned it into a theater. It was then purchased by the federal government in 1866 and used as an office building. However, in June of 1893, three floors collapsed killing 22 workers and injuring 68. From then until 1931, the building was used for storage. On Feb. 12, 1932, the Lincoln Museum opened on the first floor and then a year later it was transferred to the National Park Service.

Lincoln was known for his appreciation of the theater and first attended a performance at Ford’s on May 28, 1862. He attended many performances there including one where his would be assassin John Wilkes Booth, a prominent actor of the time, had a leading role. Ironically, the week before the assassination was one of the best times in Washington since the Civil War broke out. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

Lincoln, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and guests went to Ford’s Theatre to see the comedy “American Cousin.” Instead of revelry, it would be a night that would end in tragedy.

The National Park’s Service discussion gives a very detailed description of the fateful night and usually includes a stop at Peterson’s boarding house across the street where Lincoln was taken after he was shot. Currently under renovation it will open again in August. To plan your visit, you can visit the website, washingtondc.com or your local travel professional.

Copyright by Marcia Abramson

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