Kentucky
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site Hodgenville, KY
In the fall of 1808, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln settled on the 348 acre Sinking Spring Farm. Two months later on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin near the Sinking Spring. Here the Lincolns lived and farmed before moving to land a few miles away at Knob Creek. The area was designated by Congress on July 17, 1916. An early 19th century Kentucky cabin, symbolic of the one in which Lincoln was born, is preserved in a memorial building at the site of his birth.
Indiana
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Lincoln City, IN
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial preserves the site of the farm where Abraham Lincoln spent 14 formative years of his life, from the ages of 7 to 21. He and his family moved to Indiana in 1816 and stayed until 1830 when they moved on to Illinois. During this period, Lincoln grew physically and intellectually into a man. The people he knew here and the things he experienced had a profound influence on his life. His sense of honesty, his belief in the importance of education and learning, his respect for hard work, his compassion for his fellow man, and his moral convictions about right and wrong were all born of this place and this time. The time he spent here helped shape the man that went on to lead the country and is our most direct link with that part of his life. Lincoln Boyhood preserves the place where he learned to laugh with his father, cried over the death of his mother, read the books that opened his mind, and triumphed over the adversities of life on the frontier.
Illinois
Lincoln Home National Historic Site Springfield , IL
“My friends – No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.” An emotional Abraham Lincoln opened his farewell remarks to the citizens of Springfield, Illinois with these words on February 11, 1861. Lincoln was leaving his friends and neighbors of twenty-four years, and the home that he and his family had lived in for seventeen years, to serve as president of a nation on the verge of Civil War. The Lincoln home, the centerpiece of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, has been restored to its 1860s appearance, revealing Lincoln as husband, father, politician, and President-elect. It stands in the midst of a four block historic neighborhood which the National Park Service is restoring so that the neighborhood, like the house, will appear much as Lincoln would have remembered it.
Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Illinois
Scattered throughout the central Illinois landscape are countless places where Lincoln traveled and lived. The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area was enacted by the Congress and signed by the president on May 10, 2008. The National Heritage Area includes 42 counties of central Illinois with a mission to preserve, interpret and promote the heritage and culture of the area, in the context of Abraham Lincoln’s life in Illinois. They seek to inform and educate, develop and interpret visitor-ready sites, create living history experiences, chronicle the evolution of the area’s landscape and extend these opportunities to the largest audience possible.
Washington , D.C.
Lincoln Memorial National Memorial Washington D.C.
The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War (1861-1865). The Lincoln Memorial was built to resemble a Greek temple. It has 36 Doric columns, one for each state in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. A sculpture by Daniel Chester French of a seated Lincoln is in the center of the memorial chamber. Inscribed on the south wall of the monument is the Gettysburg Address. Above it is a mural painted by Jules Guerin depicting the angel of truth freeing a slave. Guerin also painted the unity of North and South mural on the north wall. Etched into the north wall below the mural is Lincoln’s second inaugural speech.
President’s Park (White House) Washington , D.C.
The White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, was originally constructed 1792-1800, the work of James Hoban. It was reconstructed in 1815 after being burned by British soldiers during the War of 1812. It has been the home of every president of the United States since John Adams. The exterior of the main structure, despite some additions and minor changes, remains much as it was in 1800. The interior has been completely renovated using the historic floor plan. It is significant for its Federal architecture, as a symbol of the presidency, and for the important decisions made within its walls over the years.
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site Washington, D.C.
Ford's Theatre and Museum are currently closed for renovations. The Theatre is due to open on February 12, 2009 with the museum due to open later in the spring of 2009. While the Theatre and Museum are closed the Petersen House remains open for visits from the public.
Additional National Park Service Sites
Associated with the Life and Presidency
of Abraham Lincoln
Antietam National Battlefield
Sharpsburg, MD
Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
Greenville, TN
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Appomattox, VA
Andersonville National Historic Site
Andersonville, GA
Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield
Tupelo, MS
Carl Sandburg Home Historic Site
Flat Rock, NC
Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park
Middletown, VA
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Fort Oglethorpe, GA
Fort Donelson National Battlefield
Dover, TN
Fort Sumter National Monument
Sullivans Island, SC
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
Fredericksburg, VA
General Grant National Memorial
New York, NY
Gettysburg National Cemetery
Gettysburg, PA
Homestead National Monument of America
Beatrice, NE
Independence National Historical Park
Philadelphia, PA
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Mentor, OH
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Kennesaw, GA
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Manassas, VA
Monocacy National Battlefield
Frederick, MD
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Keystone, SD
Pea Ridge National Military Park
Pea Ridge, AR
Petersburg National Battlefield
Petersburg, VA
Richmond National Battlefield Park
Richmond, VA
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
Cornish, NH
Stones River National Battlefield
Murfreesboro, TN
Shiloh National Military Park
Shiloh, TN
Tupelo National Battlefield
Tupelo, MS
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg, MS
Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site
St. Louis, MO
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
Republic, MO
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park, CA
President Lincoln signed the "Yosemite Grant" on June 30, 1864, establishing Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove as a "forest reserve" managed by the State of California. This is believed to be the true start of national parks as we know them today. The rest of the park was established in 1890 and the State ceded back the Valley and Big Trees in 1806. Although Lincoln never came here, it was his signing of the bill that started the national park idea.
02.09.09
