In downtown Washington, almost midway between the Capitol and the White House, two historic structures, Ford's Theatre and the House Where Lincoln Died, have been preserved as memorials to Abraham Lincoln. These buildings are associated with one of the most tragic and dramatic episodes in American history. In Ford's Theatre, on the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a member of a prominent theatrical family and brother of the great actor Edwin Booth. Early the next morning the President died in the Petersen House, directly across the street from the theatre.