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New e xhibit looks at Lincoln’s assassination

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Anew exhibit at The Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not at Arizona Boardwalk details the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

The exhibit includes several relics from the tragedy, including clumps of Lincoln’s hair, a piece of the curtain from Ford’s Theatre and one of the guns carried that fateful evening by his assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

“To talk about everything that Lincoln did would be wide, so we were able to narrow it down into one of the things that fascinates people,” said museum spokeswoman Karin Gallo. “It was a great way that we could pull it all together to talk about his presidency but also his tragic end.”

Gallo sees some similarities between the time that the nation’s 16th president was in of�ice and today. “To realize there was con�lict back then and to try to bring the whole country back together, there’s a lot of comparisons that could be made,” said Gallo. “It’s a great chance to re�lect and think back into history.”

“Lincoln is one of the most popular presidents and to have something this close is remarkable,” Gallo said. “This kind of opportunity to be this close to these artifacts doesn’t happen often and people think they have to go to D.C. to see these things but here it is right in our backyard.”

While there were many things that made Lincoln’s presidency memorable, his death and the circumstances surrounding it have intrigued historians for more than a century.

Some questions have arisen, including why his bodyguard had gone off to a saloon and never returned.

His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, anxiously awaited to hear whether her husband would pull through. Historians recall that Mary Todd collapsed after seeing her husband before his death and when she awoke, her husband had passed away.

Distraught, she requested a piece of her husband’s hair to be cut and so she could have a keepsake. That piece of hair is on display. Ensuing Lincoln’s death was a nearly two-week train procession from Washington D.C. to Lincoln’s home state of Illinois, where he was laid to rest. The exhibit features a pall from Lincoln’s casket as well as armbands that mourners wore watching the train pass by to pay their respects to the fallen leader. “This tells a bigger story and it’s really about a tragic ending to a world leader,” Gallo said. Gallo feels that this exhibit makes the history of Lincoln more digestible for younger audiences and those who prefer to witness history rather than read about it.

“It’s a real eye-opener,” Gallo said. “Everybody always thinks of Lincoln as a �igure in a history book but this brings him to life and makes people re�lect on his death.”

Gallo also hopes that this exhibit sparks interest in guests to do their own further research into President Lincoln.

“This gives us some more history and I think families who come through will get a little bit of everything in here,” she said. “I think you can read a book but when you come here and see it all it may spark some interest in Lincoln.”

Of course, the exhibit would not be complete without the “believe it or not” component, which is served by a poster that displays the similarities between the assassinations of Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

Another thing that is striking is that the guns carried by John Wilkes Booth on the night of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination are strikingly smaller than one would imagine.

“The guns are also called palm pistols due to the small size and the ability to be easily concealed,” Gallo said. “John Wilkes Booth carried two in case he missed since the gun only had the capacity for one bullet.”

Gallo believes that this exhibit makes for a perfect way to learn history while kids are on winter break but in a fun way.

“While people have their kids away from school, they can come in here and learn a little bit of history,” she said.

Karin Gallo, a spokeswoman for The Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, said the exhibit on Abraham Lincoln’s assassination offers an engaging way for young peo-

ple to learn about him. (Alex Gallagher/ Progress Staff)

On display at The Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not is one of the derringer guns carried by John Wilkes Booth on the night he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. (Alex Gallagher/ Progress Staff)

If you go

What: Lincoln: Assassination and Honor at The Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not When: Exhibit is on display until Presidents Day, Feb. 21. Where: The Science Of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, 9500 E Via De Ventura, Suite E250. Cost: Tickets start at $21.95 for Adults and $16.95 for children ages 2-12. Info: Ripleysaz.com