Cassie Litton and her family from Tennessee visited the Ford’s Theatre Museum in Washington, D.C. During their trip, Cassie’s 3-year-old daughter, Lainey, developed an irrational fear of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin who killed President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Cassie shared with PEOPLE how this experience left a lasting impact on her family.
While exploring the museum, Cassie explained to Lainey the historical significance of the site and the events surrounding Lincoln’s assassination by Booth. Despite Cassie’s reassurances that these events occurred a long time ago, Lainey became fixated on the idea that Booth might still be a threat.
Lainey exhibited signs of fear during their visit, even mistaking a statue in the museum for Booth himself. This fear persisted, with Lainey expressing concerns about Booth being present in her room or hiding under her bed at night. Cassie had to regularly reassure Lainey that Booth was no longer alive and that she was safe.
Despite efforts to downplay Lainey’s fear, it continued to manifest in their day-to-day conversations, with Lainey expressing dislike for Booth and even worrying about him taking her stuffed animals. Cassie shared their story on TikTok, where it gained significant attention, highlighting Lainey’s unique fear and the challenges they faced in addressing it.
The employees of Ford’s Theatre watched the video and decided to give the family T-shirts and merchandise from the museum. It turns out that Lainey is not the only child with an irrational fear of the long-dead assassin. Many viewers admitted to becoming fixated on President Lincoln’s death after visiting the renowned museum. “I was talking to my family and asked, ‘Which three-year-old knows about John Wilkes Booth?’ I thought, ‘There’s no way this is a common fear,'” Cassie shares with PEOPLE. “However, when I shared my TikTok video, numerous comments revealed, ‘I thought I was the only one. I too had a fear of John Wilkes Booth.'” To read the original article, visit People’s website.
