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The Story of the Lincoln Home in Portland, Oregon
While the original Lincoln Home was and always will be in Springfield, Illinois, an unusual replica of the home was once located in Portland, Oregon. An exact copy of the house was built by the State of Illinois, and served as the Illinois Building at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.
The exposition marked the 100-year anniversary of the Lewis & Clark expedition to explore the territory added to the United States by the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. As noted by the Oregon Historical Society, the anniversary provided a perfect opportunity for Portland business leaders to attract interest in Oregon by hosting a world's fair. The buildings, never intended to be permanent, were constructed on the Willamette River, in what is today an industrial district in northwest Portland. The State of Oregon invited other states to participate. The State of Illinois chose to create a full-size reproduction of the home of Abraham Lincoln as its contribution to the exposition.
The replica of Abraham Lincoln's House was constructed at 26th and Nicolai Streets, near the carriage entrance to the fair. The photograph above (courtesy of the Oregon Historical Society) shows the house as it appeared at the time of the fair.
After the exposition closed, the house, since it was not planned to be a permanent structure, went into decline. The house, which was then rented out, was not painted, the shrubs became overgrown, and over time it deteriorated further. Some time thereafter, the house was sold for the value of the land. The house itself was then given to a developer, who had it cut in two, and moved to an area of Portland he called "The Colony." The house was relocated to 20th Street and SW Market Drive, where it was used as a restaurant and tea room.
On January 29, 1957, the house was damaged by a fire. The house could possibly have been restored, but apparently because of the costs involved, the owners chose to sell off various parts of the house, and demolished the rest. Thus an interesting bit of Lincoln history came to an end in Portland, Oregon.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site is indebted to Mr. Lewis M. Finley of Portland, Oregon, for bringing this interesting topic to our attention, and for providing the historical information used here.
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