Drawing of the Petersen House As It Appeared at the Time of Lincoln’s Assassination

In the audience at Ford’s Theatre the night of the assassination was Dr. Charles Leale. Like many others, he believed that President Lincoln needed to be moved from the theatre but advised against returning him to the White House, as the six-block ride over muddy streets would likely kill him. Those tending to Lincoln decided to bring him outside and find a house where he could die. Henry Safford, on the porch of the Petersen boarding house, suggested that the men carry the president into Willie Clark’s empty room.