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 '1^ 
 
 LINCOLN 
 
 NATIONAL 
 
 PARK 
 
 HODGENVILLE, 
 KENTUCKY. 
 
So 11 veil ir 
 
 OF 
 
 Lincoln National Park 
 
 HODGENVILLE, 
 KENTUCKY. 
 
 BY 
 REV. LOUIS A. WARREN 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
 HERALD PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
 
 HODGENVILLE, KY. 
 

 Copyright, 1920, 
 By Rev. Louis A. Warren 
 
 m -3 192' 
 a)CU605213 
 
I'iiEFACE 
 
 The publication of the work in hand is an attempt on the part 
 of the compiler to present to the public a souvenir of Lincoln National 
 Park, which will adequately illustrate and describe the places of in- 
 terest on the farm where Abraham Lincoln was born. 
 
 The descriptions which accompany the different views serve as 
 brief historical sketches and attempt to give the visitor to the park 
 such information as will allow him to appreciate to a greater extent 
 the many interesting places. The history of the farm is traced from 
 the time that a patent was granted by the Commonwealth of VirgiTMS 
 in 1786, until it was accepted as a Naticn?.l Park by the United States 
 Government in 191(3. 
 
 Ancther feature of the souvenir which the tourist will appi'e- 
 ciate is an exact copy of the nany inscriptions which nre found o') 
 both the extericr and interior walls of the memorial buildi.'ig, includin^f 
 th? list of officers r.nd trustees of the Lincoln Farm Association, 
 which appear on bronze tablets on the rear wall of the structure. The 
 itinerary cf the log cabin in its journeys about the country is also 
 tiT.ced, and much new material which has not heretofore appearsd in 
 print is made available to the reader. 
 
 The compiler acknowlcdgec his obligation to the following pei-- 
 scns who have been of assistance to birr; in gathering the facts pub- 
 lished herein: Mr. O. M. Mather, whose great grand-father was an 
 owner of the Lincoln F;irm in the latter pai't of the nineteenth century; 
 Judge R. W. Crcal, whose fathei- purchased the farm shortly after the 
 Lincolns moved fvcm it; Williams & Handley, attorneys for the Lin- 
 coln Farm Association; R. M. Mnnford, publisher of the LaRue County 
 Herald, and John Cissell, overseer of the Lincoln Park, 
 
 REV. LOUIS A. WARREN, 
 
 Hodgenville, Ky. 
 
LINCOLN NATIONAL PARK. 
 
 J^^ HK iiMiiics olMoiics and Coiru'i' will always ))e asso- 
 \^ ciated with tlio Lincoln National Park. Kcv Jenkins 
 Lloyd Jones and liis son Richard Lloyd Jones, might b- 
 called the originators of the plan to conserve the birth- 
 place of Lincoln and Robert J. Collier was of great assis- 
 tance in carrying out the proposed ])rogTam. 
 
 The fjincoln Farm Association wa.s the organization 
 which made the park possible and this brief word sug- 
 gests the purpose of the movement, "This is a ])atriotir 
 association of the citizens of the United States, fornu'd to 
 develo]) the Lincoln Birtli])lace Farm, at llodgenville, 
 Kentucky, into a ])ernianent Lincoln National Park — a 
 park of p;driotism." The association raised $385,()()() by 
 ])ublic subscri])ti<)n. All but $4S,()()() was spent for im- 
 provements, which sum was left as an endowment to can- 
 for tli(^ park. 
 
 The following excer])t is I'rom the di^cd showing the 
 transfer of the 1)irthplace ol' AIn'aham Lincoln from the 
 Jjincoln Farm Association to the Ignited States of 
 America : 
 
 "T^|)(;n considerations that lands herein described 
 together with the buildings •nid ap])iii-ienances thereunto 
 belonging shall be forever dedicateci to the ])in'pose of a 
 National Park or Reservation, and ilu- ])arty of the second 
 part, the Fnited States of Amei'ica, agrees to |)rotect and 
 preserve llie said lands and buildings and appurtenances, 
 and es))ecially the Log C^abiii in wlucli Al)raliam Lincoln 
 was born, and the Mt'morial Hall enclosing same from 
 spoiliation, destruction and further disint(\gration, to th'"> 
 end tlial thei'e shall never be any charge made to or asked 
 from the i)nbli(' t'oi- admission to said ]»;!rk or resei'va- 
 tion. ' ' 
 
THE JACKSON HIGHWAY 
 
 ^^^^ lil'^ IjiiR'oln Xatioiial l*ark is situated on the Xat- 
 V_J ioiial liii>liway running North and South thru Ken- 
 tucky, which has as its terminals the Great Lakes on th-- 
 north and the Gulf on the south. The Highway inter 
 sects the historic farm traversing it from north to south. 
 Tlie northern entrance is marked by two l)rick columns 
 ca|)))ed with stone, with tl'e inscription "Lincoln Farm" 
 carved in stone plates. 
 
 The Jackson Highway from Louisville- south was 
 once known as the Louisville and Nashvilh^ Turui)ike, 
 jiud later the segment from Bardstown south, was called 
 the Bardstown nnd (Jrein River Turnpike. Still later 
 the road was taken over by the Jackson Highway Asso- 
 ciation. Today as a National project it ])r()mises to be- 
 come the main thoroughfare for motor ti'nffic Itetwecr 
 the Lakes and the Gulf. 
 
 It is doubtful if there is a segment of tw('nty-fi\'e 
 miles on any highway in the middle west, that lias as 
 many places of historic interest as the Jackson Highway 
 from Bardstown to Hodgenville. At Bar<lstown is the 
 ''Old Kentucky Llome" where Ste])hen Fostei* wrote the 
 greatest of American folk songs; also the grave of Jobn 
 Pitch the unhonored inventor of the first steamboat; and 
 St. Jose])h's Cathedral, the old"st one west of the Alle- 
 ghany Mountains, with its rare collection of old ])aint'n"-s. 
 Near New Haven is the Abl)ey of Gethsemnni. oik.' of th > 
 two monasteries of the Trappist order in the Lnit-d 
 States, and whei'e life may be seen as it was liveil \\\ the 
 middle ages; while at Hodgenville is the Lincoln National 
 Park. Continuing south the Jackson Highwav leads to 
 Manmioth (^av(\ about fiO mih^s from the birth ])lace v)'^' 
 Lincoln. 
 
Tlh© JmcM.S(Dim Ma^Ih^iSF®.^ 
 
THE RAIL FENCE 
 
 IT i^ the iiite]iti(,ii of the riiitcd States Government 
 to I'etaiii at the laiin on wliicli Lincoln was born, 
 all the natural elements that will contribute to the early 
 environment which characterized the sacred spot. One 
 of the first evidences of this purpose that the visitcn- 
 notices in the approach to the reservation, is the n;il 
 fence which borders that portion of the Jackson Highway 
 that passes tlirouij;li the Park. With the possible excep- 
 tion of "Honest Abe" no ayjpelation has been used in re- 
 ferring to Lincoln more fre(|uently than that of "The 
 Rail Splitter." While Lincoln was too young when h" 
 left the ])lace of his birth to have any part in the manuai 
 labor about the place, he un(loul)l"<lly saw rails s])lit by 
 his father on this very farm. 
 
 We h^arn from John Hanks that when the Lincoln 
 Family arrived on the Sangamon River in Macon C^oun 
 ty, Illinois, that the lanky young Kentuckian was already 
 initiated into his early ()ccu])ation, as Hanks says, "Al)e 
 and myself s])lit rails enougJi to fence the ])la.c-> in." He 
 also says that wln^n Lincoln was '2'2 yeai's old, "He mad" 
 '),()()() rails for Ma.j. Warnick walking three miles daily to 
 his work. " The lover of Ijincoln will always admir<' tli" 
 rugge<l i-ail fence, and it was a l!ap))y Ihonghl to consci'v- 
 the one on the plac(> of liis bii'th. 
 
Tlh® IRmal F©iace 
 
LINCOLN FARM 
 
 nlNCOLN Farm is a pail of the tract of 30,fH;0 
 acres for which a i)at('iit was uraiitcd to William 
 (Ireenoiig-h l)y the Commonwealth of Mr.u'inia on the 2()th 
 of February, 1 786 . ( )ii the L>9tli of July, 1 7S(), (h-eeiiouoh, 
 conveyed r.n undivichM] moiety of this ;)(),()()() acre tract to 
 John Hood, and the other undivided moiety to Jose])h. 
 James. On the 11th (hiy of June, 1798, Joseph James 
 conv(^yed his undivicU'd moiety of this tract to Richard 
 Mather, who filed an action in ITardin County for ?i 
 division. In April, 1801, connnissioners were appointed 
 by the Hardin County Court to make the division l)e- 
 tween the heirs of John Hood and Richard Mather. This 
 division was made by the commissioners in the vear 
 1802, and Richard Mather was allotted the north half of 
 the )80,000 acre tract, or ir),000 acres, within which the 
 Tjincoln Farm is located. 
 
 Three hundred acres of this 15,000 acre tract wei'e 
 purchased by William Duckworth . The bond of Richard 
 Mather to William Duckworth for one hundi'(^d acres is 
 dated March 19, 1814. When the otlier two hundn-d 
 acres were ])urchased fi-om Mather l)y Duckworth is not 
 sho^v^^, but this purchase was made ])rior to the purchas'^ 
 of the 100 acres. Tlu> 100 acre tract is described in the 
 bond of March 19. 1814 as 'M.vin<«' (m the South Fork of 
 Xolin, on the e;;st side of th-' Road that <_>'oes from "Rurk- 
 harts of ITodii'enville." Tt was while Mr Mather control- 
 (mI tlie property that Tl'on^as Lin^'oln secured a"s(iuatt''!'-' 
 rio'ht" but never seeme(l to be ;dde to obtain a clear title, 
 
LINCOLN FARM. 
 
 (Continued) 
 
 By a bond dated August 17, 1(S27, C. Duckworth sold 
 to Mica jail Middleton the above three hundred acres of 
 laud, being' the same on which Wm. Duckworth, deceas- 
 ed, formerly lived. From this it would ai)])ear that C. 
 Duckworth was the heir of William Duckworth. 
 
 Micajah Middleton sold his right and interest in this 
 ')()() acres by indorsement on the bond given him by C. 
 Duckworth, as follows, "July 21st., 1828. For valu" 
 received I assign this bond to Richard Creal without re- 
 course in case Mather's heirs paid foi- the land. 
 Micajah Middleton. " 
 
 Richard (h'eal sohl a i)orti()n of this tract but kept 
 the one hun<h'ed ten and one-half acres which constitutes 
 the ])reseiit Lincohi Farm, and which he retained until 
 his death. 
 
 On Xovemltei- 2.'], 1894. the Richard ('real heirs sold 
 the property to Alfred W. Dennett of New York for the 
 sum of $3,()(H). The (k^ed recorded at the FaRue County 
 Court House refers to the property as, "the IJncoln 
 S])i-ing Fr.rm and is tlx' same on which Al)raham Lincoln 
 was born." The ])a]dvru])tcy of Mr. Dennett caused th^' 
 farm to ho sold un(h'r the hammer at the Coui't House 
 door in HodgenviUe, on August 28. 19"."), and it was ])ur- 
 chascd by Robert J. (\)llier for $:].(;(H). ( )n Nov. 9, 1997, 
 Mr. Collier turned the prop'»rty over to the Lincoln Farm 
 Association for a consi(h'i'ation oi' ^] .(»<) and on Aju-il 11th 
 19!)(), the Lincoln Farm Association (U'eded the Lincoln 
 Faim to the T'nilf'd States of America. 
 
M©2ia©ipmII ID^iLWS'w^.y 
 
THE MEMORIAL BUILDING 
 
 y^^ HE arfliitc'ctiirc of the Meiiicrial Building is an 
 V^J oi-iginal design l)y John Rnsscll P()p{:', the construc- 
 tion was su])i'rinten(led by Norcross Brothers of Worces- 
 ter, Mass., and the material used was Stony Creek Con- 
 necticut granite . 
 
 Within the building stands the humble log cabin in 
 whieh Abraham ijincoln was l)orn, and with the exce]> 
 tion of the inscriptions on the walls and a. card index 
 cabinet to one side, there is nothing further to detract 
 the attention of the visitor from the chief ol)j(^ct of in- 
 terest. The cabinet contains the names of those wli;- 
 made possible the ])U]'cliase of the farm, the cabin, tlie 
 erection of the Memorial Building a.nd the improvement •• 
 on the old Home Place. 
 
 Fi'om the time tha.t the liuildiiig ])roject was launch- 
 ed to the date of the acceptance of the ])ark by the Ignited 
 States Cxovernment, three presidents have visited tli- 
 memoi'ird and taken ])art in the exercises a])pro])riate to 
 the occasions. The ceremonies at the laying of the 
 corner stone, Feb. 12, 19')9, were ])resided over by Presi- 
 dent Theodore Roosevelt. The (U'dicatory services on 
 November 9th., 1911, were attended by President William 
 Howard Taft, and the formal acceptance of the Lincoln 
 Farm as a National Park was ])y President Woodrow 
 Wilson on behalf of the T'^nited States of America, Se))! 
 4,1916. 
 
 Companion for the centuries art thou, 
 
 And yet tl^y orumblino- g-ranite, turned to dust, 
 
 Shall net outlive that wasting pile, whose log's 
 Inspired, eternity will keep in trust. 
 
EXTERIOR INSCRIPTIONS 
 
 ON 
 
 MEMORIAL BUILDING 
 
 LET rs IIAN'E FAITJI 
 
 THAT RIGHT MAKES MIGHT, 
 
 AND IN THAT FAITH LET I^S T( ) 
 
 THE END DARE TO DO OUR DUTY 
 
 Cooper Institute, N. Y. Feb. 27, 1860. 
 
 STAND WITH ANYBODY THAT 
 
 STANDS RIGHT 
 
 STAND WITH HIM WHILE HE 
 
 IS RIGHT, AND PART WITH IILM 
 
 WHEN HE GOES WRON(J 
 
 Peoiia, 111., Oct. 1(5, 1854. 
 
 HERE 
 
 OVER THE LOG (^ABIN AVHERE ABRAIL\]\I 
 
 LINCOLN WAS BORN DESTINED To 
 
 PRESER\'E THE UNION AND FREE THE SLA\^E 
 
 A GRATEFUL PEOPLE HAVE DEDICATED 
 
 THIS MEMORIAL TO UNITY PEACE 
 AND BROTHERHOOD AMONG THE STATES 
 
 WfTH MALICE TOWARDS NONE, 
 AVITH CLIARITY FOR ALL 
 
IDastlaim^ Wi(Bw ©f MeinaormH 
 
TliiSMEMOKlAl. 
 
 ERECTED 
 
 li\' I'olTI.AK SrBSCHlI'TlON 
 
 THROUGH THE 
 
 L1X(^()!.X FAKM ASS( X/TATTON 
 .lOSKI'H W. FOLK 
 
 PRESIDENT 
 
 KOBKRT J. C^OLLIER 
 
 VICE PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN OF 
 THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
 
 (CLARENCE H. MACK AY 
 
 TREASURER 
 
 KMCHARI) LLOYD JOXES 
 
 SECRETARY 
 
 JOHN RUSSELL POPE 
 
 ARCHITECT 
 
 (CORNERSTONE LAID BY 
 
 PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT 
 
 EEBRrARY P2, P)()9 
 
IRemir Vae^y^ ©f Mcesmioff'flmjl 
 
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LINCOLN FARM ASSOCIATION 
 
 AVI! J. I AM II. TAFF 
 JOSFPH W. FOLK 
 llOKAC'F POKTEK 
 C^HARLES E. HU(mES . 
 OSC^AR S. STRAUS 
 JOHN A. JOHNSON 
 ALBERT SHAW 
 SAMUEL L. (^LEMENS 
 (M.ARENOE H. MACK AY 
 NORMAN JIAPGOOD 
 LYMAN J. GAGE 
 SAMUEL (JOMPERS 
 AUGUST BELMONT 
 R( )BERT J. COLLIER 
 AU(JUSTUS E. AVHJ.SON 
 HENRY WATTERSON 
 JENKINS LLOYD JONES 
 THOMAS HASTINGS 
 IDA M. TAR BELL 
 (TJARLES A. TOAVNE 
 RK^HARD LLOYD JONES 
 (^ARl)NIAL GIBBONS 
 JOSEPH H. CHAOTE 
 EDAYARD M. SHEPHERD 
 WILLIAM J. BRYAN 
 CHARLES E. MINER 
 AVILLIAM T. JEROME 
 AUGUSTT^S ST. (LAUDENS 
 
Mos^tlh Va®"Ny^^ ®f Memmoiramll 
 
THE CORNER STONE 
 
 CllK Corner Stone in the north east corner of tlie 
 huikling designated l)y thp inscription "Febrnary 
 12, 11)09" was laid at the chMlicatory services which were 
 held in connnenioration of the one hundredth anniversary 
 of Lincoln's birth. Theodor-,^ Roosevelt then president of 
 the United States officiated at the exercises. 
 
 The stone is a block of Connecticut Granite weighin*2' 
 3,0()() ])()un<ls. After the stone was ready for placement 
 Theodore Roosevelt a])plie(l the iirst mortar with a silver 
 trowel. After each address the written copies were placed 
 in the corner stone along with other interesting data. 
 
 The contents of the metal box within the stone with 
 the name of the person de):)ositing same are as follows: 
 
 Address on ])ehalf of the Government — Theodore 
 Roosevelt. 
 
 Address on behalf of Lincoln Farm Association — 
 Gov. Josei)h W. Folk 
 
 Ad(h-ess (m behalf the State of Kenluckv — Gov. A. 
 Willson 
 
 Ad(h-ess on behalf of the Fe(U'ral Army — Gen. James 
 (J raid Wilson. 
 
 Address on behalf of r\)nfederate Armv — Gen. Luke 
 E. Wi-ight 
 
 Copy of Emancipatioii Pi-oclnmation — I. T. Mont- 
 gomery, Ex Sla\'e 
 
 Coins of th'' Day — Clarence II. Mackay 
 
 History of I.iucobi Farm Association — Richard l.loyd 
 Jones 
 
 Copy of LaRu(> (\)mdv llej-ahl Februr.rv 11, lill)!)— 
 Robeit J. Collier 
 
 Silk- Aiiif'ri!';!ii l^'la'^— 'I'lieodoT" I>oose\-(-]t 
 
Tike Cos^ira©!? Stl®si^© 
 
THE LOG CABIN 
 
 ^j^<! HJill-iE is iiolliiiig- at llie Park that rivals in in- 
 ^^ terest The Log Cabin in wliicli Lincohi was born. 
 {Sheltered now from the elements and also from the hand 
 of the vandal, it is conserved so that future generations 
 may be inspired l)y its presence. Its history is as roman- 
 tic as the life of the child +hat left the cabin for tha 
 While House. A family by the name of Harrison lived 
 in the cabin after the Lincolns left, then it was vacant 
 for several years. In the early sixties shortly after Lin- 
 coln was chosen President, George Rodman, an admirer 
 of Lincoln, bought the old cabin from Richard Creal and 
 movc<l it from its original site to his property a1)out one 
 and one-half miles from the Lincoln farm. It was first 
 used as a shelter for negroes, later as a tenant house. Two 
 terms of school were taught in the cabin about 1872 and 
 1873. In 1875 John Daveni)ort married the school 
 teacher and they went to kee])ing house in the ('al)in. 
 Tlicy live(! there until L894 when tlie cal)in was ])ui'chas- 
 ed by A. AV. Dennett and moved l)ack to its original site 
 on the Lincoln Farm. 
 
 The cabin rested on the old foundation but a shoi-t 
 tiuK^ then it was taken down and th;' 143 logs were ship- 
 ped to the Nashville Centennial in bS94. It was moved 
 to Central Park, New York, and again exhi])ited at the 
 Buffalo Exposition in 1901, after which it was purchased 
 by David Creer and stored in the old Poffenhausen Man- 
 sion on Long Island. In 1906 the Lincoln Farm Associa- 
 tion ])urchased the cabin vmd shipped it to Louisville 
 where it was one of the features of the Louisville Dome 
 Coming Celebration. It was stored in Louisville until 
 the laying of the corner stone of the Memorial Building 
 in 1909 when it was brought to Hodgenville for the oc- 
 casion, but inuuediately returned to storage and remain- 
 ed there until the building which houses it was de(licatetl 
 iu 1911. 
 
INSCRIPTIONS WITHIN 
 
 HE WAS THE NORTH, THE SOUTH, THE EAST, THE WEST. 
 THE THRALL, THE MASTER, ALL OF US IN ONE; 
 THERE WAS NO SECTION THAT HE HELD THE BEST; 
 HIS LOVE SHOWN AS IMPARTIAL AS THE SUN; 
 AND SO REVENGE APPEALED TO HIM IN VAIN, 
 HE SMILED AT IT AS AT A THING FORLORN, 
 AND GENTLY PUT IT FROM HIM, ROSE AND STOOD 
 A MOMENTS SPACE IN PAIN, 
 REMEMBERING THE PRARIES AND THE CORN 
 AND THE GLAD VOICES OF THE FIELD AND WOOD. 
 
 MAURICE THOMPSON 
 
 THE COLOR OF THE GROUND WAS IN HIM THE RED EARTH; 
 
 THE SMELL AND SMACK OF ELEMENTAL THINGS: 
 
 THE RECTITUDE AND PATIENCE OF THE CLIFF; 
 
 THE GOOD WILL OF THE RAIN THAT LOVES ALL LEAVES; 
 
 THE FRIENDLY WELCOME OF THE WAYSIDE WELL; 
 
 THE COURAGE OF THE BIRD THAT DARES THE SEA; 
 
 THE GLADNESS OF THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE CORN; 
 
 THE MERCY OF THE SNOW THAT HIDES ALL SCARS; 
 
 THE SECRECY OF STREAM-S THAT MAKE THEIR WAY 
 
 BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN TO THE RIFTED ROCK; 
 
 THE UNDELAYING JUSTICE OF THE LIGHT 
 
 THAT GLIDES AS FREELY TO THE SHRINKING FLOWER 
 
 AS TO THE GREAT OAK FLARING TO THE WIND 
 
 TO THE GRAVES LOW HILL AS TO THE MATTERHORN 
 
 THAT SHOULDERS OUT THE SKY. 
 
 EDWIN MARKHAM 
 
MEMORIAL BUILDING 
 
 I WAS BORN FEB. 12, 1809, IN HARDIN COUNTY 
 KENTUCKY. MY PARENTS WERE BORN IN 
 VIRGINIA. MY MOTHER WHO DIED IN MY TENTH 
 YEAR, WAS OF A FAMILY OF THE NAME OF HANKS. 
 MY FATHER AT THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER WAS 
 BUT SIX YEARS OF AGE, AND HE GREW UP, 
 LITTERALLY WITHOUT EDUCATION. HE REMOVED 
 FROM KENTUCKY TO WHAT IS NOW SPENCER 
 COUNTY, INDIANA. IN MY EIGHTH YEAR. WE REACHED 
 OUR NEW HOME ABOUT THE TIME THE STATE 
 CAME INTO THE UNION. IT WAS A WILD REGION, 
 WITH MANY BEARS AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS, 
 STILL IN THE WOODS. THERE I GREW UP. THERE 
 WERE SOME SCHOOLS, SO CALLED. 
 THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO EXCITE 
 AMBITION FOR EDUCATION. OF COURSE WHEN 
 I CAME OF AGE I DID NOT KNOW MUCH. STILL, 
 SOMEHOW, I COULD READ, WRITE, AND CIPHER 
 TO THE RULE OF THREE BUT THAT WAS ALL. 
 THE LITTLE ADVANCE I NOW HAVE UPON THIS 
 STORE OF EDUCATION, 1 HAVE PICKED UP FROM 
 TIME TO TIME, UNDER THE PRESSURE 
 OF NECESSITY. 
 
 A. LINCOLN 
 
THOMAS LINCOLN 
 
 January 30, 1770 January 17, 1851 
 
 FIFTH IN DESCENT FROM SAMUEL LINCOLN, WEAVER, 
 WHO LANDED AT HINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, MAY 26, 
 1637. ORPHANED AT SIX YEARS OF AGE BY AN INDIAN 
 BULLET HE GREW UP HOMELESS IN THE WILD WOODS 
 OF KENTUCKY. AT TWENTY-FIVE HE WAS THE 
 POSSESSOR OF THIS CABIN HOME AND ITS 
 NEIGHBORING ACRES. IN 1818 HE MOVED TO INDIANA, 
 THEN A TERRITORY. FIVE YEARS LATER HE FOLLOWED 
 THE TIDE OF IMMIGRATION TO ILLINOIS, WHERE HE 
 LIVED A PEACEFUL, INDUSTRIOUS, RESPECTED 
 CITIZEN, A GENERAL, HONEST AND CONTENTED 
 PIONEER. WITH COURAGE AND ENERGY HE BUILT 
 WITH HIS OWN HAND FIVE HOMES, EACH BETTER 
 THAN THE PRECEEDING ONE, HE WON AND HELD 
 THE LOVE AND CONFIDENCE OF TWO NOBLE WOMEN 
 AND HE WAS THE FATHER OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
 "MY FATHER INSISTED THAT NONE OF HIS CHILDREN 
 SHOULD SUFFER FOR THE WANT OF EDUCATION AS HE 
 HAD" ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 "HE WAS A GOOD CARPENTER FOR THE TIMES. 
 HE HAD THE BEST SET OF TOOLS IN WASHINGTON 
 COUNTY. THE LINCOLNS HAD A COW AND A CALF, 
 MILK AND BUTTER, A GOOD FEATHER BED— FOR I HAVE 
 SLEPT ON IT. THEY HAD A HOME-WOVEN 'KIVERLID,' 
 BFG AND LITTLE POTS, A LOOM AND WHEEL. 
 TOM LINCOLN WAS A MAN AND TOOK CARE OF HIS 
 WIFE. REVEREND JESSE HEAD, THE MINISTER 
 WHO MAPRIED 1 OM LINCOLN AND NANCY HANKS, 
 TALKED BOLDLY AGAINST SLAVERY AND TOM AND 
 NANCY LINCOLN AND SARAH BUSH WERE JUST 
 STEEPED FULL OF JESSE HEAD'S NOTIONS 
 ABOUT THE WRONGS OF SLAVERY AND THE RIGHTS 
 OF MAN AS EXPLAINED BY THOMAS JEFFERSON AND 
 THOMAS PAINE." 
 
 Professor T. C. Graham of 
 Louisville, Kentucky 
 
NANCY HANKS LINCOLN 
 
 February 4, 1784 October 5, 1818 
 
 BORN IN VIRGINIA; WHEN THREE YEARS OLD 
 HER PARENTS JOSEPH AND NANCY SHIPLEY 
 HANKS, CROSSED THE MOUNTAINS INTO 
 KENTUCKY. ORPHANED AT NINE SHE WAS ADOPTED 
 AND REARED BY RICHARD AND LUCY SHIPLEY 
 BERRY, AT WHOSE HOME IN BEECHLAND, WASH- 
 INGTON COUNTY, KENTUCKY, SHE WAS MARRIED TO 
 THOMAS LINCOLN, JUNE 17, ISCG. OF THIS UNION 
 WERE BORN SARAH, ABRAHAM AND THOMAS. THE 
 FIRST MARRIED AARON GEIGSBY AND DIED IN 
 INDIANA IN 1828. THE LAST DIED IN INFANCY. THE 
 SECOND LIVED TO WRITE THE EMANCIPATION 
 PROCLAMATION. THE DAYS OF THE DISTAFF. THE 
 SKILLETT, THE DUTCH OVEN THE OPEN FIREPLACE 
 WITH ITS IRON CRANE ARE NO LONGER, BUT 
 HOMEMAKING IS STILL THE FINEST OF THE FINE 
 ARTS. NANCY HANKS WAS TOUCHED WITH THE 
 DIVINE APTITUDES OF THE FIRESIDE. LOVE AND 
 HONORED FOR HER WIT, GENIALITY AND INTELLIGENCE, 
 SHE JUSTIFIED AN ANCESTRY REACHING BEYOND 
 THE SEAS, REPRESENTED BY THE NOTABLE NAMES 
 OF HANKS. SHIPLEY, BOONE, EVANS AND MORRIS. TO HER 
 WAS ENTRUSTED THE TASK OF TRAINING A GIANT IN 
 WHOSE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES SHE WAS HALLOWED. 
 OF HER HE SAID, "MY EARLIEST RECOLLECTIONS OF MY^ 
 MOTHER IS SITTING AT HER FEET WITH MY SISTER DRINK- 
 ING IN THE TALES AND LEGENDS THAT WERE READ AND 
 RELATED TO US." TO HIM ON HER DEATH BED SHE 
 SAID: 'I AM GOING AWAY FROM YOU ABRAHAM, AND 
 I SHALL NOT RETURN. I KNOW YOU WILL BE A GOOD BOY. 
 THAT YOU WILL BE KIND TO SARAH AND YOUR FATHER. 
 I WANT YOU TO LIVE AS I HAVE TAUGHT YOU TO AND TO 
 LOVE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER.' "ALL THAT I AM OR 
 HOPE TO BE I OWE TO MY DARLING MOTHER." 
 
THE SPRING 
 
 QATUKES Ix'Kt i^'ift t') the Lincoln Farm is the 
 si)r!ii,i;' of cool water. wJiicli 'gave the property 
 tlie name of Lincoln Spring Farm in tlie early days of 
 its history. It is located at the foot of the elevation on 
 which the niemoi'ial l)uilding stands, and th" approach is 
 a descent down a flight of stone steps, leading to the rock 
 cave which forms a natnral spring house for the never 
 failing stream. The cave is high enough for one to stand 
 uy^right, and wide enough to accomodate a number of 
 people. Its walls are covered with vegetation and the 
 overhanging trees make it one of the most beautiful spots 
 on the (Mil ire reservation. The water gushes forth from 
 a crevice in the rock and falls gra.cefully into a cavity 
 that has been made by the centuries of its continued ser- 
 vice. 
 
 The spring is undou'ntedly very much the same as it 
 was in the days that the Lincoln family secured from it 
 their water su])])ly, and its ])resence was ])roltal)ly re- 
 sponsible for the location of the cabin which stood close 
 by. When Ijincoln was presidi^it, in conversation with 
 an old citizen of LaRue County, Dr. Jesse Rodman, In^ 
 i-emarked a1)out having rememb<u'ed the old spring. 
 
 The visitor to tie spring ma.y see carved in the wall 
 the lettei's S. C ])laced there in 1S()() by Samuel Oastene. 
 Mr. Castene hoi-rowed the hanuner and chisel used in car- 
 ving the initials from R. W. Creal, the pres(4it Judge of 
 LaRue County, who was tiien a small boy on his father's 
 farm and who lived in the old cabin at the entrance to the 
 Park. Soldiei's r(^turnin,ii- after the Civil War remarked 
 that sonuMiie had cai'ved in the wall of the old s])ring, the 
 initials slandiiii?- for Southern (\)nfe(leracv. 
 
THE OLD OAK 
 
 ONE of the most interest iii,i>- featiu'es in the Park is 
 often ov<n-h)()ke(l l)y the visitor, but certainly not 
 because of its obscurity. The giant corner oak over- 
 shadows everything else in its immediate vicinity and 
 it is doubtful if it has an equal in size in the entire coun- 
 ty. If one could interpret the language of the trees, like 
 the Exiled Duke in the Garden of Arden, the tongue of 
 this tree might tell an interesting story. There is no 
 (U)ubt but what the boy Lincoln played day after day in 
 the shade of this old settler, which even at that early date 
 had ac(iui red some age. 
 
 An old (h'Cil dated in 1827 in which the Lincoln farm 
 was conveyed from Wriglit and Duckworth to Miea.jah 
 Middleton, suggi'sts that at this time the tree was well 
 known and was large enougli to distinguish it from its 
 neighbors. The clause of interest in the deed reads, "T(^; 
 begin at a uoIimI white oak D. \' . N'ance's corner." Tliis 
 same white oak appears to be tlie first ])oint designate(^ 
 in the iKnmdaries of four farmswhich at one timecornei*ed 
 at the oalc, at ])r(>sent three farms use the tree as th" 
 stai'ting i)oint of their boundary sui'veys. 
 
 The white oak is in a perfect state of ])reservatinn 
 and seems good for at least another century. Tt makes n 
 substantial growth each year and shows no signs of de- 
 cay- The trunk has a circumference of fifteen feet two 
 inches at a point six feet from the ground, and the foliage 
 a spread of one hundred and eight feet. Tt is located 
 al)out nOO f'H^t south of the spring. 
 
NATURES CONTRIBUTION 
 
 QATURE liasblessed the roservation,iiot so miicli Avith 
 an orderly display of cultivated flowers and shrub- 
 bery as with wild berries, tangied brush, crazy vines and 
 trees, all sizes, all ages, and innatural state of preservation 
 of all sizes, all ages, and in natural states of preservation. 
 Such an environment has called within these protected 
 acres a varied feathered flock such as find their nesting- 
 place in Kentucky. The lover of l^ird life may find thorn 
 j>ll present from Jennie Wren, wlio makes her home in a 
 tin can near heachiuarters; to the gawky old Buzzard who 
 may be seen (hiy after day against the sky over the Memo 
 rial Building, l)ut who really lives within the farm l:)ound 
 I'ies. The Kentucky Cardinal likes to sport in the trees 
 near the Memorial Building where his blazing coat of red 
 finds a fitting background in the granite structure. Th" 
 
 writer knows the favorite bush where a ))air of Mocking 
 Birds from year to year raise a chorus of songsters, and 
 can knock on the post wliere a pair of Bluebirds go to 
 housekce])ing in the early Spring. 
 
 The most interesting feathered tenants at the farm 
 however, is a pair of Peewees that build at the to|) of one 
 of the giant columns of the Memoriid Building. Their 
 ancestors probably secured a squatters right on the farm 
 long before Thomas Lincoln movcMl iido the humble cabin ^ 
 and now that they have been prevented from buildin,<>; 
 under the old thatched roof, they come as near as pos- 
 sible to their cabin home. Tt is to be hoped that a y)or 
 tion of the farm at least, may nevei- be cleared of its old 
 brush, its decaydtreesand the various elements nc^cessarv 
 io make the bii'ds feel at home on this national reserva 
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