Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial facts for kids
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Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
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Lincoln Farm (replica)
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 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | IN 162, Lincoln City, Indiana, United States |
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| Area | 200 acres (81 ha) |
| Built | 1816 |
| Architect | Bishop, Richard E.; Olmsted, Frederick Law |
| Website | Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000012 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHLD | December 19, 1960 |
| Designated NMEM | February 19, 1962 |
The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a special place in Lincoln City, Indiana. It remembers Abraham Lincoln, one of America's most famous presidents. This memorial protects the farm where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family. He lived here from 1816 to 1830, growing from a 7-year-old boy into a 21-year-old man.
Abraham's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and many other early settlers are buried here in the Pioneer Cemetery. His sister, Sarah Lincoln Grigsby, is buried nearby in the Little Pigeon Baptist Church cemetery. This cemetery is just across the highway in Lincoln State Park.
The park also includes the Lincoln Living Historical Farm. This is like an open-air museum where you can see what farm life was like long ago. The Lincoln Boyhood Home was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1960. In 2005, over 147,000 people visited the site.
At the memorial, you'll find a visitor center. It has a short film about Lincoln's time in Indiana. There are also museum exhibits and memorial halls to explore. The site is easy to reach, located near the Interstate 64 and U.S. 231 junction.
Contents
What You Can See at the Memorial
The Memorial Building
The main part of the memorial is a beautiful building made of limestone. It was finished in 1945. This building has five carved panels that show different parts of Lincoln's life. Inside, there's a small theater where you can watch a 16-minute film about his years in Indiana.
The museum section has many interesting items and displays about Lincoln. There's also a special gallery with artwork, including portraits of Lincoln and his family. You can even see an oil painting of his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. A chapel and meeting hall are available for special events.
The Historical Farm Experience
Close by, you can see the exact spot where Lincoln's first cabin stood. A sandstone foundation shows the outline of the house. This original site was found by archaeologists and is now protected.
Just a short walk from the original cabin site is a replica farm house. Park rangers dress in clothes from the 1820s and work on this farm. It's like stepping back in time! You can talk to them, learn about farm activities, and see old tools. The Living Historical Farm is open during warmer months, from mid-spring to early fall. They grow crops and raise farm animals, just like people did back then.
Abraham Lincoln's Life in Indiana
Moving to Indiana
Abraham Lincoln's father, Thomas Lincoln, had problems with land ownership in Kentucky. Because land surveys were not always clear, many families lost their farms. The Lincolns were one of these families. In 1815, Thomas went to Indiana to find a new home. He wanted to live in a free state, where slavery was not allowed.
In 1816, the family moved to southern Indiana. The journey took two weeks. Thomas was a skilled carpenter and quickly built their new cabin before winter. The next year, he worked hard to clear the land, plow it, and plant crops.
Tragedy and New Family
In September 1818, a sickness called "milk sickness" spread through the community. It was caused by people eating dairy products or meat from cows that had eaten a poisonous plant called white snakeroot. Many people became very ill, including Abraham's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. She passed away on October 5, 1818. She was buried behind the family cabin in what became known as Pioneer Cemetery.
After his mother's death, young Abraham was cared for by his older sister, Sarah. In 1819, his father married Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow with three children. She brought her children to live with them in the Lincoln cabin. Abraham became very close to his stepmother, Sarah.
School and Work
Abraham started school for the first time at age 10. He attended school for about three months each winter, when he wasn't needed for farm work. He went to a few different schools over the years, but his formal schooling ended when he was 16.
In January 1826, Abraham's only sister, Sarah, died during childbirth. She was buried in the Little Pigeon Creek Primitive Baptist Church cemetery.
As he grew older, Abraham took jobs outside the farm. He cleared land, plowed fields, and built fences. He also loved to read and borrowed books from anyone who would lend them. He spent time at the general store, listening to stories and telling his own. During this time, he took his first trip down to New Orleans by flatboat to sell goods. It's believed this was when he first saw a slave market, which helped shape his views against slavery. In March 1830, after 14 years in Indiana, Thomas Lincoln moved his family to Central Illinois.
Creating the Memorial
Early Efforts
For many years, the site of Lincoln's boyhood home didn't get much attention. But in 1879, people started to recognize its importance. Researchers found Nancy Hanks Lincoln's grave, and a headstone was placed there. Local groups worked for decades to get the site recognized as historically important. In 1917, they found the foundation of the original cabin and marked it.
In 1927, the Indiana Lincoln Union was formed. This group raised money and support for a memorial in Indiana. In 1932, the state created the nearby Lincoln State Park to protect the area. Part of this land, including Nancy Lincoln's grave and 29 other graves, was later added to the memorial district.
Building the Memorial
The Union continued to raise funds through the 1930s and 1940s. They completed the Memorial building in 1944. It features five large carvings by sculptor Elmer Daniels, showing different parts of Lincoln's life.
In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped shape the memorial's landscape. They created a grassy pathway leading from the memorial building to the Pioneer Cemetery. In 1934, a CCC crew found the original hearthstones of the Lincoln family farm. These workers also planted over 22,000 native trees. This helped bring the area back to how it might have looked when young Abraham Lincoln lived there. Today, high school students still help maintain the park through the Youth Conservation Corps.
In 1962, the Indiana legislature gave another 114 acres to the district. The U.S. Congress officially made it the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial on February 19, 1962. It was then managed by the National Park Service. The memorial was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. In 1968, the National Park Service created the Living Historical Farm. This was done after careful research to help visitors understand the lives of Lincoln, his family, and their neighbors during those early frontier years.
Images for kids
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Memorial entrance
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Memorial courtyard
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The foundation of the Lincolns' cabin
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Lincoln in Kentucky
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Lincoln in Indiana
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Lincoln in Illinois
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Lincoln in Washington D.C.
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Lincoln's legacy
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Cabin at the Living Historical Farm
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"There I Grew Up...," A History of Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home
More Places to Explore
- Lincoln's Tomb
- Lincoln Memorial
- List of museums in Indiana
- List of national memorials of the United States
- List of residences of presidents of the United States
- Presidential memorials in the United States
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Indiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Spencer County, Indiana
