Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the United States (1861-1865)

Lincoln sites that I have visited:

Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site Hodgenville, KY

  Mary Todd Lincoln birthplace site and childhood home Lexington, KY

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Lincoln City, Indiana

 Lincoln's crossing into Illinios memorial near Vincennes, IN

Lincoln's New Salem State Park Petersburg, IL

Miscelaneous other sites around Springfield, IL: Old State Capital, Lincoln Herndon Law Office, Lincoln Depot, Lincoln's church. 

Lincoln Cottage at Soilders Home (Presidential retreat) Washington DC 

Site of Gettysburg Address Gettysburg, PA

The Wills House (where he wrote the Gettysburg Address) Gettysburg, PA

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Springfield, IL
                                             

Chair in which Lincoln was shot Henry Ford Museum Dearborn, MI

  Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was shot Washington DC
                                             

  Peterson House, where Lincoln died Washington DC
                                             

  Lincoln Home Springfield, IL
                                            

   Lincoln Tomb Springfield, IL

Klo and I at Lincoln's birthplace in Hodgenville, KY

The Lincoln birthplace in Hodgenville is an interesting site. When Lincoln was running for President people went looking for his birthcabin. At the time there was a cabin on the property that they claimed to be the birthplace, or at very least this cabin probably would be built with timbers from Lincoln's birthplace cabin. Eventually the cabin was put in this huge Monument behind me. In recent years they tested the timbers from the cabin and they only date back to the 1840's. So the cabin in the Monument has no real Lincoln connection other than it sits on the same land that he was born on.

The cabin that Lincoln was not born in. Still a cool Monument on the property he was born on.

Not the original house in which she was born. But this is the birthsite of Mary Todd Lincoln

Historical marker in front of the Todd House. Just one street from Mary's birthplace sign. Lexington, KY

Mary Todd Lincoln House. Lexington, KY

I've been wanting to see the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana for awhile. I finally got to in August 2014. I met up with Roger Johnson, one if my friends that I've met online who shares my interest visiting Presidential sites. Roger has a great website that I referred to for years before I met him. www.welcometoamerica.us/ is Rogers website that includes State Capital Buildings, Governor Mansions and a bunch of other interesting sites.

This site is pretty important since Lincoln lived here from around age 7- 21. And this is also where his mother died and his father remarried, giving Abe and his sister Sarah several step siblings. 

The site has a small museum, his mothers gravesite, the foundation of one of the Lincoln Cabins bronzed, and a small living farm replica. All pretty cool. 

                    The museum

Thomas Lincoln ( Abe's Dad) built this cabinet. 

No picture of Nancy Hanks Lincoln (Abe's Mom) exist. So someone did this painting of what she may of looked like.

         Gravesite of Abe's Mother

Bronzed foundation of one of the Lincoln cabins

           Me at the replica living farm

What the inside of the cabin would of looked like

Also at the boyhood Memorial is the path of 12 stones. Stones from various places significant to Abe's life. This one is from Gettysburg Battlefield where Abe gave the Gettysburg Address.

Across the street from Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is Lincoln State Park. In the Park is a small church cemetery where Abe's sister Sarah is buried with her husband and infant baby.

Memorial marking the site where a 21 year old Abraham Lincoln crossed into Illinios when he moved  from Indiana with his family. Across the border from Vincennes, IN.

Statue of a 21 year old Lincoln crossing into Illinios

Lincoln spent several years as a young adult in New Salem. By the 1920's the town was all but gone. William Randolph Hearst started the effort to restore the site to how it looked when Lincoln lived here.

                                                                Lincoln the reader

                                                  Lincoln the surveyor

                                                             Lincoln the action hero

                                    One of many accounts of a fight Lincoln was in

           Henry Onstot copper shop in the only building here original to when Lincoln was here

                                      The site of Lincoln's first store in New Salem

                                                         Grant feels the beaver skin

                                                                Lincoln's second store site

Ann Rutledge was Lincoln's first love. She died young. What makes her interesting is that, had she lived, she may of married Lincoln and maybe they would of settled down and become farmers of something simple. Maybe he would of never become a lawyer or a politician, or even President.

        Old IL State Capital Building. Lincoln served here as a state legislator for years. His body laid in state here before his funeral

             In this room Lincoln served as a state legislator. This is also where his body laid in state.

Lincoln Herndon Law Offices. closed for renovation. This is also where Lincoln wrote his first Inagural address

Lincoln Train Depot. He gave a fair well address here to Springfield before leaving for Washington

    Lincoln Depot

     Lincoln attended church here. Not this building, but at this site. Marys funeral was at this church however

The Lincoln Cottage in Washington DC

 The Lincoln Cottage was Lincoln's Presidential retreat. He spent about 1/4 of his Presidency there. Other Presidents spent time here including Buchanan, Hayes and Arthur. I had a last minute oppourtinity to go to DC for the weekend in July 2010 to see my nephew in the big Boy Scout parade.  I had passed through 6 weeks earlier and missed alot that I hoped to see. This was a great chance to pick up some loose ends. My cousin and I went off on our own. Using the subway and a map we backpacked across DC on probably the hottest day of the year. The tour was nice, but it was unbearably hot with no Air Conditioning that day. It reminded me of Madisons Montpelier in that the house was mostly empty. The tour seemed to focus on the Emancipation Proclamation.

Inside the Lincoln Cottages visitors center is this painting.

Lincoln Cottage visitors center has an image of a very long narrow Lincoln 

Me with the Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Cottage in DC. I felt very short and stout next to Abe here.

Gettysburg Address memorial, Gettysburg, PA

Historical marker at the Wills house in Gettysburg. This is where Abe wrote the Gettysburg Address

The Wills house

We just step foot inside and found out that it would cost to get in. We were short on time so had to get going.

Also in Gettysburg are some cool Abe statues. Like this one.....

.... And this....

.... And this one too

             Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Springfield, IL

 

                                                           Lincolns boyhood in Indiana

The Lincolns with my family, John Wilkes Booth with the photo bomb

Lincoln's boyhood in Indiana

Working the store front in New Salem

Courting Mary

Lincoln Douglas Debates

Grant and I both think that McCellan is kind of a prick

     Lincoln and his cabinet

Ford's Theater

         Replica of Lincoln's casket

A fuzzy image of Lincoln's deathbed. Once i took it I was told photography was not allowed

Here's the chair in which Abraham Lincoln was shot. It is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan

My kids at the Lincoln chair

Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. Where Lincoln was shot.

I have been to Ford's Theatre a few times. My July 2010 trip is the first time I had a camera. I didn't go in on this trip because if you look at the picture closely you will see about 100 boy scouts in line.

This picture was taken on my most recent trip in July 2016. I got there early with tickets online in advance with enough time to have breakfast across the street.

The gun that killed Lincoln

The boot in which John Wilkes Booth wore the night he killed the President

The knife that Booth stabbed Major Rathbone with

The Presidents Box

The Peterson House in DC. Where Lincoln died.

After Lincoln was shot he was carried across the street to the Peterson House, where he died at 7:22 the next morning. This is the picture I took in July 2010

It wasn't as congested at 7:30 in the morning this time around. July 2016

  And July 2016 we saw the first Ranger presentation of the day in the theater. Afterwords they open the doors and most people started to get in line at Peterson house across the street. A lot has changed since I was last inside the Peterson house. There's now an elevator that takes you up a few floors after you see the room Lincoln died in and more museum area to see on your way out.

Where Lincoln died

This four-story stack of books illustrates how many books have been written about Lincoln.

Lincoln's Home in Springfield, IL. June 2009

Our trip to Springfield was a brief one on the way home from our 2009 Texas trip. We spent a little time at the Lincoln Tomb. Then a quick stop at his house here. On Memorial Day weekend 2015, I was able to go to the Springfield area and take in all the Lincoln sites in properly.

Lincoln's Home in May 2015

 

Back of the house

Recieving Vault at Oak Ridge Cemetery. This is where Lincoln was buried just after his funeral

.

This replica funeral cart was still here from The 150th Anniversary of Lincoln's funeral

Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield, IL in June 2009

Lincoln's Tomb in May 2015

Bust of Lincoln outside of his Tomb. He has a shiny nose because alot of people walk by and touch. Including me.

Gravemarker for Lincoln in his Tomb in June 2009

In the first 3 or 4 decades after Lincoln's death there were a few attempts at grave robbing his body. To assure this would never happen again they buried him 13 feet below this marker and filled it with concrete.

Klo and I in Lincoln's Tomb in June 2009

Khloe, Nicky, Grant and I at Lincoln's Tomb May 2015

Lincoln is usually No. 1 on lists of best to worse Presidents. His election assured that South Carolina would leave the union. When they did many other southern states followed. Lincoln was determined to keep the union together. Through most of his administration he wasn't very popular. As the Civil War progressed, many in the north just wanted to let the south go. They just wanted the war to be over. He stood strong and after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House he became very popular. Unfortunatly he was assassinated later that week. After his death he gained a sort of secular sainthood.