Petersen House, Washington DC

On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater and was brought to this boarding house across the street. Doctors attended to him throughout the night, but he died early the next morning. The house, now a National Historic Site, is open for visitors. It belonged to a tailor, William Petersen. The front and back parlors, as well as the bedroom where Lincoln died, have been restored to their Civil War-era appearance. Though most of the furnishings are not original, the bloodstained pillow and pillowcases are the ones used by Lincoln on that fateful night. A visit here is a solemn affair. Admission is free.

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