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Knob Creek Farm

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Lincoln Boyhood Home
The "Gollaher Cabin" sits on the site where Lincoln lived
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Nearest cityAthertonville, Kentucky
Built1931
ArchitectThompson,Robert
Architectural styleSingle pen log cabin
NRHP reference No.88002531 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 16, 1988

Knob Creek Farm has been a noncontinuous section of the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park since 2001; prior to that date it was privately owned. From 1811 to 1816, it was the homestead of the future President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, who said it was his "earliest recollection".[2] The site consists of four buildings, two of which are historical in nature.[3]

The total acreage of Knob Creek Farm is 228 acres (92 ha), of which the Lincolns lived on 30 acres (12 ha). Lincoln's father Thomas Lincoln did not actually own the farm; he leased the land by the Old Cumberland Trail (now U.S. 31E) in hopes of regaining the Sinking Spring Farm, where Lincoln was born.[4] It was on this site that Lincoln's brother, Thomas, was born and died. Lincoln himself almost died at the farm as well, nearly drowning at the adjacent Knob Creek until neighbor and friend Austin Gollaher extended a branch to rescue him from the swollen creek.[2] The cabin the Lincolns lived in was destroyed in the 19th century.[5][6]

The two historical buildings at the location are the Lincoln Tavern and the Gollaher Cabin. The Tavern was built in 1933 at the cost of $4,200; the 1.5 floor structure was constructed of logs and concrete in an asymmetrical plan. The Gollaher Cabin was built around the year 1800, and moved to its present location to reflect what the Lincoln cabin would look like. It is the cabin Austin Gollaher's family lived in during Lincoln's stay at Knob Creek Farm.[7] The tavern was built to cash in on the booming tourist trade that came to LaRue County to see sites connected with Lincoln, much as the Nancy Lincoln Inn was. It was originally a dance hall that served liquor, but when LaRue County became "dry," it was converted to a museum and gift shop, as it remains to the present day. During the 1980s, 20,000 annually visited the complex.[8]

The farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 16, 1988, due to its role in tourism in LaRue County, Kentucky, and for its connections with Abraham Lincoln.[9] More detail on the history and specifics of the site are covered in a 2006 NPS report.[10]

  • Knob Creek
    Knob Creek
  • Knob Creek Tavern
    Knob Creek Tavern
  • South view of tavern
    South view of tavern
  • Back view of tavern
    Back view of tavern
  • Map: Sinking Spring Farm lower left, and boyhood home (Knob Creek Farm) upper right, near Hodgenville, Kentucky. The two Park locations are almost 10-mile (16 km) apart on US Highway 31
    Map: Sinking Spring Farm lower left, and boyhood home (Knob Creek Farm) upper right, near Hodgenville, Kentucky. The two Park locations are almost 10-mile (16 km) apart on US Highway 31

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home at Knob Creek". National Park Service. November 5, 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  3. ^ Thomason p.7-1
  4. ^ "Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHS". National Park Service. February 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  5. ^ Thomason p.8-4
  6. ^ "Lincoln Stories". KY Lincoln Heritage Trail. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  7. ^ Thomason pp.7-1,7-2,8-4
  8. ^ Thomason pp.8-1,8-4
  9. ^ Thomason pp.8-5
  10. ^ Tommy H. Jones; et al. (2006). "Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site / Boyhood Home Unit / Lincoln Tavern /Historic Structure Report" (PDF). National Park Service.
  • Thomason, Philip (August 1988). Lincoln Boyhood Home NRHP Nomination Form. Thomason and Associates.
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