Lincoln Heritage Trail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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| North end | Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial |
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| States: | Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky |
| Highway system | |
The Lincoln Heritage Trail is a special group of roads in the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. These roads connect towns and places that were important to Abraham Lincoln before he became president. It's like a historical road trip!
The Story of the Lincoln Heritage Trail
About 50 years after Abraham Lincoln passed away in 1915, the government of Illinois decided to do something special. The Illinois General Assembly (which is like their state parliament) asked the Illinois State Historical Library to find and mark the exact path Lincoln traveled. This journey took him from Kentucky, through Indiana, and finally to Illinois.
It took almost another 50 years for the trail to be ready. In 1963, this long trail, which is about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long, was officially opened. Some people say the idea for the trail came from marketing experts. They wanted to encourage more people to travel by car and buy gasoline. The trail first had about 3,000 markers to show Lincoln's route.
Exploring the Trail: Where Does It Go?
Today, many parts of the Lincoln Heritage Trail are old and worn. Some signs are missing, or they are hard to see. But you can still find some of them!
For example, in Kentucky, you can spot a sign on US 68 near Perryville, Kentucky. It's at a crossroads where US 68 meets US 150 and KY 52. Another sign is on US 60 in Frankfort. You can see it when you are driving east, just past the exit for US 421 and KY 676.
There's also a sign on US 60 Alt. near the I-64 highway in Louisville. These signs are more than 20 years old. Kentucky now uses newer, reflective signs, so the old painted ones haven't been replaced. Some counties along the trail are working to fix up the signs and markers. But overall, it can be a bit tricky to follow the trail perfectly today.
In Illinois, the trail includes parts of roads like IL 155, IL 1, IL 33, and IL 97 (near New Salem). It also uses IL 125, which is part of the old Beardstown Post Road.
In Indiana, the trail follows roads such as SR 62 and SR 441.
