Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will hold a Public Open House of Grant Hall’s historic third-floor courtroom, located on the Fort McNair side of the Joint Base in SW DC, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 2. The courtroom is the site of the military tribunal, held from May through June 1865, of those thought responsible for the plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln.
During a 2009-2012 renovation of Grant Hall, which was originally part of Washington’s Federal Penitentiary from 1829 to 1868, the third floor of the building was restored to depict the courtroom as it appeared during the 1865 trial. Courtroom features were recreated based on artistic renderings and written descriptions of court proceedings. Some furnishings and artifacts on display are on loan from the production company of a 2011 historical film about the trial, and other artifacts and documentation are from the National Defense University Library.
The event is open to the public, through advance registration. See the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Facebook Events Page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/jbmhh/events or email usarmy.jbmhh.asa.list.pao-all@mail.mil. Full names of all attendees are required, as well as a valid telephone and email contact. Note the courtroom is accessible only by climbing two flights of stairs.