Lincoln Spring

Lincoln Spring

NPS / Zimmerman

Quick Facts

Location:

Lincoln Spring, IN

Significance:

Location of the Lincoln family home from 1816-1830

Designation:

National Park, National Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places

Amenities

1 listed

Scenic View/Photo Spot

The Lincoln Spring served as a source of water for the Lincoln family when they lived in Indiana.

Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln in Kentucky. Thomas Lincoln came from a long line of farming frontiersmen. Life on the frontier had its challenges. Due to title disputes, Lincoln lost land in Kentucky on three occasions. In 1816, Thomas Lincoln decided to move his small family to Indiana. Because he could buy government land with a clear title and because slavery, which he opposed, was illegal in Indiana, Lincoln looked forward to a fresh start. Sixteen miles northwest of the Ohio River, just south of Little Pigeon Creek in a region of towering hardwoods, plentiful game, and good water, Thomas Lincoln chose a quarter-section (160 acres) of land for a home site.

Thomas Lincoln chose this quarter-section because of the spring which served as a fresh water source. Thomas Lincoln built his homestead just 300 yards from this spring. The spring would later be known as the Lincoln Spring. On February 20, 1830, Thomas Lincoln sold his farm and moved the family to Illinois, where Abraham would spend his next 30 years. The spring continued to be as source of water for the many people who later settled in the area as well as for the railroad line that was built near the site.