Gala Farewell Dinner at the National Portrait Gallery & Smithsonian American Art Museum, site of Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Ball


We have chosen this spectacular venue especially for our stately farewell dinner because of the grandeur of the building and its historical relevance to the Civil War.


Originally built as the Patent Office Building, it was used during the Civil War as a hospital for wounded Union soldiers, a temporary barracks, and a morgue. Clara Barton and Walt Whitman used to visit the building to attend to the wounded. In March 1865, it was the site of Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural ball.


This evening will include a reception and private viewing of the National Portrait Gallery’s America’s Presidents exhibition featuring an incredible look at several portraits of Abraham Lincoln, including facial masks, that illustrate the dramatic change in his features that took place over the course of his presidency.


Dinner will be served in the spectacular “Great Hall,” where President Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln greeted guests attending the president’s second inaugural ball, a wonderful example of 19th-century architecture complete with hand-tiled flooring, a curved double staircase, and stained-glass vaulted ceiling. We will even dine on some of the delicacies from the inaugural menu of Lincoln’s day. Enjoy Civil War-era music and a dessert buffet (just like Lincoln’s inauguration). This is sure to be an incredible night and our own private “inaugural ball” in this National Historic Landmark building.


Contact your travel agent or call Tauck at 1-800-468-2825. 11


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