April 18, 1906 - The Lincoln Farm Association

Crops, such as corn, potatoes, and tobacco, were grown on the Sinking Spring Farm during the Lincoln Farm Association ownership period.

Incorporation of Lincoln Farm Association

When Abraham Lincoln’s family farm, the Sinking Spring Farm, went up for auction in 1905, the media imagined that a big celebration would be in order. The main proposition for the land was to preserve it as a park for the American people, who were still wounded after the destructive Civil War. Families had been torn apart from strife and our vulnerable nation was trying to heal from the years of horrific bloodshed; they needed a reminder of how far the United States of America had progressed in topics of slavery and economic prosperity. The creation of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park would “be held together by them [the American People] as a garden spot in the nation’s history, a trysting place whence North and South, East and West may find the inspiration of national unity.” However, there were not many purchasers who could pay the large amount of money needed to produce this vision. The farm’s property was in disarray and completely abandoned – plants were overgrown, and fences were run down. Eventually, the farm was secured by long-time Collier’s Weekly journalist, Richard Lloyd Jones. He featured the Birthplace in the popular magazine to present the upcoming plans of restoration and protection.

The Lincoln Farm Association was created “for the purposes of honoring and perpetuating the memory of Abraham Lincoln, the taking and holding of 110 acres of his birthplace farm, and the development and maintenance of the same.”

The Lincoln Farm Association Membership Certificates were processed at the headquarters of the Lincoln Farm Association in New York City.

All contributors that donated between 25 cents and 25 dollars received an engraved membership certificate. Some notable members on the Board of Directors included Samuel L. Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, and Ida Tarbell, the only female patron. Soon, the search was on for “Honest Abe’s” birth cabin. It was a year later, in June 1906, when the logs were finally found and shipped back to Louisville, KY. The farm grounds were surveyed, and John Russell Pope was hired as architect to memorialize the Great Emancipator with a magnificent memorial building. Though Pope was sent back to the drawing board due to his unrealistically massive blueprint, the monument was completed and presented to a crowd of over 3,000 people. Because of the Lincoln Farm Association’s dedication to remembering Lincoln as the innovative leader he was, we now have the beautiful grounds that more than 250,000 visitors from every state, country, and walk of life come to visit and pay their respects.

From there, the rest is history.

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Lincoln Farm Association Photos