On this day in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while watching a play called Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. After Lincoln was shot, they carried him across the street to the William Petersen’s boarding house. They had to lay him diagonally on the bed because his tall frame would not fit normally on the smaller bed in the first floor bedroom.

When I visited the Peterson House thirty plus years ago, I remembered seeing the blood stained pillow and the quilt on the bed. The pillow and pillow case are the ones used by Lincoln but the bed and other furniture are replicas. I don’t know if the quilt is the same but the one displayed in the museum has some color in it, but not as much as this quilt. And after seeing the snow coming down outside this morning, I need as much color as possible!

Colorful Quilt