Trailblazing Accessibility: Lincoln Boyhood Allee Trail Renovation Team Honored with 2025 Director’s Excellence Award

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial renovation team experiences the Allee Trail.

NPS

A beloved historic trail at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is now accessible to all - thanks to the extraordinary vision and collaboration of a dedicated National Park Service team. Their work on the Lincoln Boyhood Allee Trail Renovation has earned them the 2025 Director’s Award for Excellence in Accessibility Achievement, recognizing their outstanding leadership in inclusive design and historic preservation.

Originally designed in 1927 by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., the memorial’s allee trail has long invited visitors to reflect on the legacy of Abraham Lincoln’s formative years in Indiana. However, for nearly a century, the trail’s design presented barriers for visitors with mobility disabilities.

Determined to change that without compromising the historic integrity of the landscape, the project team developed a groundbreaking solution: the “Modified Lightbulb” design. This elegant and functional approach discreetly introduces two curved, sloped woodland trails that bypass stairs while maintaining the site’s visual symmetry and reverence. Today, visitors of all abilities can equally experience the tree-lined journey to the memorial flagpole and the grave of Nancy Hanks Lincoln.

More than 21,000 square feet of trail surface were replaced using exposed aggregate concrete—providing durability, traction, and a visual harmony with the historic setting. The team worked closely with accessibility specialists, cultural resource experts, and local community members, including individuals who use wheelchairs, to ensure the final design met both regulatory standards and real-world needs.

This effort stands as a model of integrated accessibility and a shining example of the NPS mission to preserve places of national significance while making them welcoming and meaningful for everyone.

The National Park Service congratulates the following individuals for their contributions to this exemplary achievement: Kevin Schluckebier, Thomas Bentley, David J. Thomson, Rhonda B. Schier, Jim G. Teague, and Kathryn Logsdon.