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Lincoln Home National Historic Site

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Lincoln Home National Historic Site
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
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LocationSpringfield, Illinois, USA
Nearest citySpringfield, Illinois
Area12.24 acres (49,530 m2)
EstablishedAugust 18, 1971
Visitors419,552 (in 2005)
Governing bodyNational Park Service

Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the Springfield, Illinois home and a historic district where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, before becoming the 16th President of the United States. The presidential memorial includes the four blocks surrounding the home and a visitor center.

Historic site

The house, purchased by Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln in 1844, was the only home that Lincoln ever owned. Located at the corner of Eighth and Jackson Streets, the house contains twelve rooms spread over two floors. During the time he lived here, Lincoln was elected to the House of Representatives in 1846, and elected President in 1860.

Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln donated the family home to the State of Illinois in 1887 under the condition that it would forever be well maintained and open to the public at no charge. The home and Lincoln Tomb, also in Springfield, were designated National Historic Landmarks on December 19, 1960, and automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The home and adjacent district became a National Historic Site on August 18, 1971 [1] and is owned and administered by the National Park Service. As of 2014, it is the only National Park Service property in Illinois.

Along with the Lincoln Home, several other structures within the four-block area are also preserved. All the homes have been restored to their appearance during the time Lincoln lived in the neighborhood. Two of these structures, the Dean House and the Arnold House, are open to visitors and house exhibits on the life and times of Lincoln and his neighbors. In total, the buildings included in the park occupy 12 acres (49,000 m2).

Neighborhood

Nearby in Springfield are the Old State Capitol where Lincoln served as a State Legislator, the building which housed the law offices of Lincoln and his partner William Herndon from 1844 until 1852, and the Lincoln Depot from which Lincoln left the city for his 1861 inauguration.

  • Lincoln home historic district
    Lincoln home historic district
  • Most photographed corner of the Lincoln home
    Most photographed corner of the Lincoln home
  • 1858 house of Jesse K. Dubois, a political ally of Lincoln
    1858 house of Jesse K. Dubois, a political ally of Lincoln

References and notes

  1. ^ The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior. The NPS website for the park lists 1972; however the printed reference and the National Register listing both confirm 1971 as the establishment date.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lincoln Home National Historic Site.
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