Abraham Lincoln is perhaps the most famous, effective, and beloved of all of the United States Presidents. His legacy really needs no introduction as he is most assuredly best known as the President who saw the country through the Civil War, bringing the North to victory in 1865. Just days later he became the first President to be assassinated. It is difficult to imagine the tumultuous times that both he and the country went through during this era. And if that isn’t quite enough, he’s the first President to have a beard. 
Perhaps his most noteworthy accomplishment was the freeing of the slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation. He was also legendary for the rags-to-riches story that brought a farm boy born in a log cabin all the way to the White House. Although shy and awkward, he was known for his inspiring speeches, particularly the Gettysburg Address which stimulated the North to victory.
Lincoln served one full term as President from 1861-65 and won election to his second term. It lasted only a month before he was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre on April 15, 1865.
There are Lincoln tributes found literally all over the country, from statues to city names to locations touting that ‘Lincoln stood here’ or ‘Lincoln slept here’. Although it is still a work in progress of visiting all of the major ones, below are the actual historic sites pertaining to Lincoln that I have visited so far.
(Also see here for the Lincoln Museum of Fort Wayne, Indiana (now closed), here for the Lincoln locations at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, here for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C, here for the statue of Lincoln on the grounds of the West Virginia State Capitol, and here for the White House of the Confederacy that was visited by Lincoln.)
Sunday, June 7, 2009 – Abraham Lincoln Birthplace -Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 on the Sinking Springs Farm in Hardin, County, Kentucky. The area is now part of the city of Hodgenville. The family only lived here for two years before a land dispute forced them to relocate to the Knob Creek farm about ten miles away.
Naturally the city of Hodgenville fully takes advantage of their status of Lincoln’s birthsite. Numerous businesses employ the name Lincoln. Two statues adorn the a gathering area in the center of the city, one of Lincoln the boy and one of Lincoln the man. Christi and I visited Hodegenville and the Lincoln sites here during a weekend trip through Kentucky.
The statue of the boy. I’m on the right.
The Lincoln Statue in the Hodgenville city square
Also in this town square is the Lincoln Museum. It is a good-hearted attempt at putting together various Lincoln displays without really having any genuine historic pieces. It contains several wax figures and scenes from Lincoln’s life and rather chintzy displays adorn the halls of the museum. I had to laugh when I saw a typewritten version of the Gettysburg Address hanging in a frame on the wall. Oh, well at least they’re doing something.
In front of the museum. I had to wait until 12:30 for this thing to open.
The waxy goodness of the Linclon-Douglas debates
Some of the fun to be had in the children’s section of the Lincoln Museum
Hodgenville or bust!
Near the birthsite is a visitor center that includes a theatre with a very informative 15-minute video about Lincoln’s youth. There is one hallway which serves as a small display area with historical information, the Lincoln family bible, and a cross-section of a tree that stood near the birthplace. Outside of the center near the memorial are the so-named Sinking Springs, which in a likelihood, Lincoln had splashed in and drank from as a child.
The Sinking Springs with the Faltering Tourist
I was proud to be at the birthplace on the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth
Playing with Lincoln Logs at the birthsite complex
With the Lincoln family bible, the only real piece of memorabilia to be found in the town
The Memorial to Lincoln’s Birthsite is quite impressive. The cornerstone was laid on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth by President Theodore Roosevelt and it was dedicated two years later by President William Howard Taft. Presidents Wilson and Eisenhower have also visited the location.
The symbolism in the memorial includes 16 windows, fence poles, and rosettas indicating that Lincoln was the 16th President, and 56 steps leading to the memorial symbolizing the 56 years of Lincoln’s life. Inside the building is a log cabin representative of the one in which Lincoln was born. Local tradition has long maintained that perhaps some of the logs in the cabin were from the original cabin itself, but that has been proven to be very highly unlikely.
In front of the memorial and the 56 steps leading up to it
With the representative cabin inside the memorial, leaning on one of the 16 fence poles
Sign at the entrace to the park
Sunday, June 7, 2009 – Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home at Knob Creek Farm - About ten miles northeast of the Sinking Springs Farm is the Knob Creek Farm where the Lincoln family rented and settled from 1811-1816 during which time their ownership of Sinking Springs was in dispute (the Lincolns would end up losing their claim to it).
It was on this location that Lincoln reported that he had his very earliest memories. At one point, he had fallen into a nearby creek here and was saved by his friend and neighbor Austin Gollaher. It was the Gollaher log cabin home that was relocated to Knob Creek as a representative cabin to the Lincoln family’s.
This location did not become part of the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park until 2001. The land was privately owned prior to this.
The entrance to Knob Creek
The historic marker at Knob Creek
Outside the Gollaher cabin, now the ‘Lincoln’ cabin
Friday, June 10, 2011 – Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home in Lincoln City, Indiana – Obviously Lincoln City wasn’t named Lincoln City at the time, but in in 1816, President Lincoln’s father left their home in Knob Creek, Kentucky, to scout out a new place for them to live. They ended up in an undeveloped area of Indiana, where they would settle for the next fourteen years. Although Indiana is seldom thought of in conjunction with Abraham Lincoln, he spent his formative years here between the ages of 7 and 21.
Even more importantly, there were many events in Lincoln’s life that happened here and shaped the man that he would become. For starters, his mother passed away from a disease known as milk sickness in 1818. She would be buried on the property in a cemetery that would become known as Pioneer cemetery.
Gravestone of Abe’s mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln, placed in 1879, 61 years after her death. Yes, I leaped a fence to get in this shot.
My friend Dean and I stopped at this location as we were traveling southbound to Metropolis, Indiana. Archaeologists had excavated the hearth from the Lincoln cabin and thus the foundation has been preserved – and is inset into the ground, right where it originally was laid. Nearby is a cabin replica and a working farm with docents to show you around.
Entrance to the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Plaque at the entrance of the wooded knoll that contains both the Nancy Lincoln grave site and the remains of the cabin where the Lincolns lived
The outline of the Lincoln cabin, sitting at a lower level than the surrounding land, due to the excavation to locate it
Reproduction of what the cabin might have looked like
Attacked by a cow on the Lincoln working farm
The memorial’s visitor’s center features a film about Lincoln’s time in Indian entitled Forging Greatness: Lincoln in Indiana, a small museum (which was closed during our visit), Abraham Lincoln Hall (used for church services, weddings, meetings, etc.), and on the outside, five sculpted murals depicting the stages of Lincoln’s life in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Washington D.C., and…his belong to the ages.
The National Memorial Visitor Center, with the limestone mural on its walls
Mural sculpture honoring Lincoln’s life in Indiana
And now he belongs to the ages…
Lincoln City or bust!!
Fielding questions in Abraham Lincoln Hall
Dean and I spent nearly two hours here, exploring the trails, monuments, visitors center, and working farm. One other notable feature of the park was the Twelve Stones Trail, which featured twelve different stones brought to this location from other places notable in Lincoln’s life. For instance, one from Hodgenville where he was born, one from where he delivered the Gettysburg Address, and one from the White House.
From 1917-1934, this marker, located a few hundred feet from where the cabin was actually located, marked the supposed site of Lincoln’s boyhood home. Eventually the actual location was discovered during an archaelogy expedition.
One of the twelve stones along the path, this one was part of the White House
Although technically a different location, Lincoln State Park is located just across the street from the Boyhood Memorial. I decided to go ahead and pay the $5 entrance fee (after waiting an excruciatingly long time in a line of cars trying to use credit cards), just to see the Little Pigeon Baptist Church and the gravesite of Sarah Lincoln-Grigsby, Abe’s sister. Although the church sitting on the site is the third one to have been built, the first one was actually partially constructed by Abraham’s father Thomas.
The grave of Sarah Lincoln, which eclipses the grave of her husband Aaron Grigsby next to it
On the way out of the park, Dean and I also stopped to check out the nice Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Plaza that was dedicated in 2009 – the year that celebrated Lincoln’s 200th birthday.
Bicentennial Memorial highlighting Lincoln’s height development during his 14 years in Indiana
Reverse side of the Memorial, with a not-so-proportional Lincoln bust
Saturday, June 6, 2009 – Lincoln Family locations in Kentucky – Since President Lincoln is the iconic figure that he is, even locations relevant to his wife and his parents are given memorial status in Kentucky. The following are two such locations that I have visited:
Mary Todd Lincoln Birthplace and Childhood Home – On West Short Street in downtown Kentucky stand a marker indicating the location of the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln’s wife and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. The original house no longer stands and another house now stands at the location.
At the location of Mary Todd Lincoln’s birth
Just one block over was the house that Mary and her family moved into when she was thirteen. This house still stands and has been restored with 85% of its original furnishings from the Todd family. They moved into the house in 1832 and Mary lived there for seven years until she moved to Springfield, Illinois in 1837. Abraham Lincoln himself visited the house during a journey with his wife from Springfield to Washington D.C. in 1847. The Todds sold the house in 1849 after the death of Mary’s father Robert S. Todd.
The Mary Todd House was opened to the public in 1977 and has the distinction of being the first National Historic Site dedicated to a First Lady. Interestingly, after the Todds left the house, for a time it became a brothel inhabited by the madam credited for inspiring the character of Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind.
Obviously an older historic landmark found in the rear of the house. A newer one was place in front as part of the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration
In front of the Mary Todd Lincoln House
The Lincoln Homestead State Park – I swerved off toward my path to Hodgenville to visit this state park and went in cold not knowing much about it. Although Abraham Lincoln himself never lived here, the land is quite sacred in his family history. Two of the buildings located here are reproductions and two are original.
Thomas’ boyhood home (in which he lived until he was 25 years old) and the blacksmith shop where Abraham Lincoln’s father Thomas learned his trade as a blacksmith are reproductions.
Reproduction of Thomas’ boyhood home
The blacksmith shop reproduction
However, the Berry home, although moved to this spot from its original location was in fact original. This log cabin was the one in which Abraham’s Mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln lived as a teenager. Abe’s father Thomas even proposed to her in this very house right in front of the fireplace. Obviously the relics inside the house are merely from the era. Still this is quite a historic building, one which would ultimately see an event that would lead to the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
Original cabin where Nancy Hanks resided
In front of the fireplace where Abraham Lincoln’s parents got engaged
Fooling around on an upstairs loom in the Berry House (so named for the Hanks in-law and owner of the house)
Just up the road from the other buildings in the Lincoln Homestead Park is the home of Abraham Lincoln’s uncle Mordecai Lincoln. As the oldest son, Mordecai had inherited the funds to buy this property from his father (also named Abraham). He lived in the house from 1797-1811.
Outside the original Mordecai Lincoln house
Finally, the park includes a memorial to Nancy Hanks Lincoln. I was rather unimpressed by not only the memorial itself, but the upkeep of it. It was merely a disheveled-looking small brick wall with a flagpole in the center…which had no flag on it! Hopefully, someone will get this cleaned up to properly honor Abraham Lincoln’s Mother.
Inscription found on the rear wall of the Nancy Hanks Lincoln Memorial
A bit of a lackluster memorial
Continue to the next President…
Return to Saturday in Kentucky 2009 …
Return to Sunday in Kentucky 2009…
Return to the 2011 road trip through Indiana…
Last year was the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Two wonderful re-enactors recreated the debates in each of the seven original towns on the exact anniversary dates. I was fortunate enough to witness the Jonesboro Debate on a hot day in September. The actors were marvelous and traded eloquently worded barbs along with some self effacing humor. It was a treat to see. One could almost imagine that it was the genuine event. Hurricane Ike attacked the midwest the following day. I had planned to attend the Alton Debate, as well, but my plans did not work out.
Dave Chasteen
June 15th, 2009
Supposedly Liam Neeson is playing the lead in Spielberg’s “Lincoln” biopic due out in 2011.
Peter
June 15th, 2009
As we tread nearer to the 150th Anniversary of The Civil War, I expect we will be inundated with Lincoln related media.
Adams Sandler’s film, “Happy Lincoln” is due out in early 2011. I understand he gets into a fistfight with Henry Clay in the House Chambers and loses.
Jack Black’s “Dude, I’m Abe Lincoln!” is due out late next year. According to a ‘spoilers’ website, he accidentally smokes his speech before ‘The Gettysburg Address’ and has to ad-lib it. Journalists and historians decide to re-edit his comments for the sake of The Country and posterity.
Dave Chasteen
June 15th, 2009
Is Knob Creek where they now make Knob Creek bourbon? Or maybe they named it that as some type of a Lincoln connection.
Darlene
June 16th, 2009