Lincoln Home National Historic Site

About this property

Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the Springfield, Illinois, home and related historic district where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, prior to becoming the 16th president of the United States. The presidential memorial includes the four blocks surrounding the home and a visitor center. In 1837, Lincoln moved to Springfield from New Salem at the start of his law career. He met his wife, Mary Todd, at her sister's home in Springfield and married there in 1842. The historic-site house at 413 South Eighth Street at the corner of Jackson Street, bought by Lincoln and his wife in 1844, was the only home that Lincoln ever owned. Three of their children were born there and one, Eddie, died there. The house contains twelve rooms spread over two floors. During the time he lived here, Lincoln was elected to the House of Representatives in 1846, and elected president in 1860. During their years on Eighth Street, the Lincolns completely renovated and expanded the home. Although there are few original artifacts in the home, conservators have been able to recreate the furniture and design through historical pictures. The Lincoln Home has been completely restored to its 1860 appearance. Of note, the Lincolns often hosted political meetings in the home and he was asked to run for president in the main parlor. Though the rear yard outhouse is not the original structure, the period building was placed in the original location and belonged to family friends of the Lincolns. The Lincolns had fully intended to return to the house after President Lincoln's presidency had he not been assassinated. Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, donated the family home to the State of Illinois in 1887 under the condition that it would forever be well maintained and open to the public at no charge. This came as a result of tenants who would charge those who wanted to visit Lincoln's home and that many tenants tended to leave the home in disrepair. The home and Lincoln Tomb, also in Springfield, were designated National Historic Landmarks on December 19, 1960, and automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The home and adjacent district became a National Historic Site on August 18, 1971 and is owned and administered by the National Park Service. Along with the Lincoln Home, several other structures within the four-block area are also preserved. The exteriors of the homes have been restored to their appearance during the time Lincoln lived in the neighborhood, and street and sidewalks use period materials. Three of these structures, the Dean House (exhibit: "What a Pleasant Home Abe Lincoln Has"), the Corneau house (exhibit: "Voices of Springfield"), and the Arnold House (exhibit: "If These Walls Could Talk"), are open to visitors and house exhibits on the life and times of Lincoln and his neighbors. Explanatory signs for other sites tell additional neighborhood history, such as the Jameson Jenkins site for a home that was on the Underground Railroad. In total, the buildings included in the park occupy 12 acres (49,000 m2). Other homes are still privately owned and occupied under regulation of the Park District. A "log cabin" wagon found on the street is modelled after a promotional vehicle used for political parades in Lincoln's time.

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Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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