Ford’s Theatre chair obtained by ALPLM

The chair was donated by a now-retired Wake Forest University dean who bought it at a charity auction in the 1980's.

By Will Stevenson

Capital City Now

April 13, 2026 4:13 pm

ContributedAbraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.This chair from Ford's Theatre has been donated to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum by Gordon McCray.

Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – What could arguably called a piece of history has been obtained by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) — one the museum calls “an artifact from a consequential moment in American history.”

According to a news release Monday, the museum says it has obtained a chair that was in use at Ford’s Theatre the night John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln April 14, 1865. At the time, most theatre-goers sat in any of around 1,000 chairs when attending performances, until 1866, when the federal government purchased the theatre and turned the chairs most likely over to government offices for seating.

Gordon McCray, along with his wife, Coleen, donated the chair to the ALPLM. Gordon is a retired Wake Forest University dean.

“We’ve had this amazing piece of history for decades, and now we want others to have the chance to see it and learn from it,” said McCray, in a news release. “We’re honored that it will have a permanent home in Abraham Lincoln’s hometown.”

McCray purchased the chair in the 1980’s at a charity auction.

“This chair will help us vividly portray the audience’s perspective at the time of Lincoln’s assassination,” said Dr. Ian Hunt, head of acquisitions, in the news release.

The ALPLM says the chair will be on display this summer, when the museum opens a special exhibit timed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence called “The Second American Revolution.”