Lincoln Home - Springfield, Illinois
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 39° 47.841 W 089° 38.701
16S E 273541 N 4408612
Historic former home of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WMDT0B
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 02/20/2012
Views: 12
The LINCOLN HOME, 8th and Jackson Sts., was the only one ever owned by Lincoln; here he lived from 1844 until his departure for Washington in 1861. Built in 1839 ^^^ the Reverend Charles Dresser, who later performed Lincoln's marriage ceremony, the house is now maintained by the State. When Lincoln purchased it, there was a mortgage on it of $900, which was not mentioned in the deed. Characteristically, Lincoln remarked that he "reckoned he could trust the preacher that married him."
The frame of the building is of oak; the laths are hand-split hickory and oak; the doors, window frames, and weather-boarding are of walnut. The iron nails are all hand-wrought. The original story-and- a-half structure was remodeled in 1856 and enlarged to two full stories. The house is remarkably well preserved.
Within these walls Lincoln spent the greater portion of his much discussed married life, moving here from the Globe Tavern as soon as the limited income from his law practice would permit. In this house three of his four children were born ; the eldest, Robert, was born at the Globe Tavern a few months before the Lincolns' removal. Here, also, Lincoln's second son, Edward Baker, died.
The comfortable interior contains a number of Lincoln memorabilia, although most of the furniture is simply of the period. Among other prized pieces are his favorite rocking chair, a cupboard used as a bookcase, Mrs. Lincoln's sewing chair, and a photograph of Lincoln, known as the Ross picture, taken in i860 for campaign purposes. The wallpaper in the south front room is an exact reproduction of the Lincolns' paper, and that in the other rooms is as similar to the original as could be procured. The two front rooms on the north side can be opened and made into one ; at a grand levee here on February 6, 1 861, the President-elect and his wife bade farewell to their Springfield friends. - Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide, Springfield section, pg. 393.
The house is managed by the National Park Service as part of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. The house along with several of the neighboring houses are part of the Historic Site. The house is open daily for tours, for more information on tours and other information on the home and neighborhood see the Historic Site website.