The Sickles Shooting
A congressman killed a man across from the White House. A later act of mercy is what the city would not forgive.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
The man who killed this city's federal prosecutor left the courtroom to three cheers. What cost him the crowd came three months later, when he forgave his wife. The dead man was Philip Barton Key, son of the author of The Star-Spangled Banner. The killer was Daniel Sickles, a congressman who lived on the far side of this square. In February 1859 Sickles received an anonymous letter signed R.P.G.
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
North end of Madison Place NW, off H Street, on the east side of Lafayette Square. Most of the park was closed by a security fence in November 2026, while the part along H Street stayed open. Go only as far as is open: the story works from there.
Sources
- Library of Congress, In Custodia Legis: Love, Adultery and Madness
- Encyclopedia.com: Daniel Sickles Trial, 1859
- White House Historical Association: Murder and Untimely Tragedy, the Haunting of Lafayette Square
- National Park Service: Closure order for President's Park, November 2026
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