No, it’s not the real chair Abraham Lincoln was in when killed by John Wilkes Booth. The real one is in a Detroit museum, but this replica is in the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre. Occasionally, the door is open to visitors who can peer inside for a photo opportunity.

Ford’s is exactly like that April 14, 1865 night aside the chairs. There were 2,000 that night, but men were 5-feet-4, 130 pounds on average then. Americans are bigger nowadays so 700 chairs are available for ongoing plays.

I lead Lincoln tours regularly. Email me at MonumentalThoughts@gmail.com if you’d like a 90-minute tour or more.