On the night of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln went to Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. He and Mrs. Lincoln sat in a special box above the stage.

During the play, a man entered the box. He was a famous actor named John Wilkes Booth. Booth was upset over how the Civil War had ended. He blamed Lincoln. He aimed a gun at Lincoln and fired. Chaos followed.

Booth quickly leaped onto the stage. On the way down, one of his boots caught the edge of a flag. Booth stumbled and broke his leg.

Booth shouted in Latin, “Thus always to tyrants.” Then he fled and jumped on his waiting horse outside.

Today, many of the artifacts, or objects, from that night have been preserved. They are a link to our past. They help us learn— and remember.

The flag that Booth caught his foot on is one such item. That morning, a messenger from the White House requested tickets for the evening’s performance. The president and first lady would make important guests.

Flags from the Treasury Department would adorn the presidential box. Four of the flags were the American flags of the day. The fifth flag had a hand‑painted eagle on dark blue silk. It was attached to the box by a flag pole. As Booth fell, his spur tore the edge of the flag. The tear remains today.

The flag is kept at the National Park Service’s Museum Resources Center in Maryland. It is one of more than six million artifacts to be cared for in the collection. All have historic significance. All come from places in and around Washington, D.C., such as Ford’s Theatre.

Only a small percentage of these artifacts can be shown. Some are too fragile. Others, too large. What cannot be displayed must be carefully stored in a safe, secure, and environmentally stable way.