After a stop at the Sigma Chi Grand Chapter registration desk, we ran into a Past Grand Consul and his wife along with some of their Sigma Chi friends. In talking to them, we discovered that we were all heading out to do some exploring around DC. They invited us to join them and so off we went! The first stop was Ford’s Theatre where President Lincoln was shot.
We listened to a short presentation by a Park Ranger and learned some interesting facts. For instance, Ford’s Theatre is still a working theatre and it seats roughly 650 people. Back in the 1860s, it held 2,200 people… The night that Lincoln was shot, there were approximately 1,700 people in the theatre. It was Easter Weekend in 1865 and Lincoln and his party were about 45 minutes late because Lincoln worked late that day. After being shot by John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln was taken next door to the Petersen House where he remained until he died. We got to see both Ford’s Theatre and the boarding house where he died, along with a small museum display about the aftermath of the assassination. As we stepped out of the museum, we discovered the “Tower of Books” that ends in the middle of the gift shop. It contains copies of books written about the assassination. I am not sure how many books are in the actual tower, but over 15,000 books have been written about Lincoln… The “Tower of Books” is *four* stories tall.
Next, it was off to the White House with a small stop to take a picture in front of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building. Andy and I are hiding a bright yellow sign that states “no civilians beyond this point.” We joked about going past the sign, but none of us really felt like being rushed by FBI security. 🙂
The White House was about a mile walk from our hotel. It was surprisingly small. Yes, it’s a mansion, but it’s not nearly as big as one might expect. I wish they still offered tours, because I would have loved to see the inside. Oh well… maybe our government will eventually get their act together, so that we can tour it when we take the kids back for a family trip!
After all that, our group split up. The others headed off for lunch and Andy and I went to the International Spy Museum (no photographs allowed). We spent a few hours wandering around in there. It was a neat place to visit although the exhibits seemed to go on forever. We finally made our way back to the hotel about 3:30 so that we could get ready for the Grand Chapter Opening Reception. The rest of the day was fun with Sigma Chi. I got to see old friends and make some new ones. The conversation and drinks were free flowing and it was a great way to start Grand Chapter! On to lunch on Capitol Hill tomorrow…