On this day 155 years ago, Abraham Lincoln took his last breath in this bed. After he was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre the night before, Lincoln was carried across the street to a boarding house operated by William and Anna Petersen. His deathbed is on display at CHM in our permanent Abraham Lincoln exhibition. Explore the legacy of the sixteenth president in our online exhibition Lincoln at 200, which was produced in collaboration with the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Newberry Library. Explore the exhibit.

Explore our online exhibition A House Divided: America in the Age of Lincoln, which delves into the institution of slavery, the economic development of the antebellum North and West, and traces the antislavery movement and the sectional political controversies that led to war. Learn more here.

ABOUT THE CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM

The Chicago History Museum is situated on ancestral homelands of the Potawatomi people, who cared for the land until forced out by non-Native settlers. Established in 1856, the Museum is now at 1601 N. Clark Street in Lincoln Park, its third location. As a major museum and research center for Chicago and U.S. history, the Chicago History Museum strives to be a destination for learning, inspiration and civic engagement. Through dynamic exhibitions, tours, publications, special events and programming, the Museum connects people to Chicago’s history and to each other. To share Chicago stories, the Museum collects and preserves millions of artifacts, documents, images and other items that are relevant to the city’s history. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chicago Park District on behalf of the people of Chicago.