| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — Abraham Lincoln - As - A - Boy Statue |
| | The sculpture of Abraham Lincoln – as – A – Boy was created by the Daub Firmin Hendrickson Sculpture Group, and dedicated May 31, 2008. The Group designed the granite bearing the Gettysburg Address and excerpts from Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, and donated them to the people of Hodgenville.
Eugene Daub, Rob Firmin and Jonah Hendrickson thank Hodgenville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky for the opportunity to Honor on of our Nation’s truly Great Presidents. — Map (db m60163) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — Abraham Lincoln Birthplace |
| | Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin near Sinking Spring. Growing up in rural Kentucky, his character was shaped by the hard work and tragedy of frontier life. As the 16th president, his policies and politics saved the Union and ended slavery in the United States.
The park has two locations; the Birthplace where the Lincoln family lived from 1808 to 1811, and the Boyhood Home at Knob Creek where the Lincolns lived from 1811 to 1816. — Map (db m60085) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — Abraham Lincoln's memory of Knob Creek Farm |
| | My earliest recollection. . .is of the Knob Creek place
Abraham Lincoln, 1860
Abraham Lincoln’s family moved here from his birthplace at Sinking Spring Farm in 1811, when the future president was just two years old. Lincoln’s earliest memories were of life along Knob Creek, and his experiences in this valley shaped the man who would guide the nation through the bloodiest conflict on American soil — the Civil War.
Here you can explore the land that Lincoln . . . — Map (db m60028) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — 591 — Courthouse Burned |
| | Side One
Twenty-two Kentucky courthouses were burned during Civil War, nineteen in last fifteen months: twelve by Confederates, eight by guerrillas, two by Union accident.
See map on reverse side.
The courthouse at Hodgenville was burned by guerrillas Feb. 21, 1865. It had been used by Union soldiers as barracks. All of the county records were saved.
Side Two
Locations of twenty-two courthouses in Kentucky burned during Civil War.
Route of Brig. Gen. Hylan B. . . . — Map (db m59994) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — 1115 — Larue County / County Officials --- 1843 — Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln |
| | Side One
Larue County
— § — § —
Was established March 1, 1843 from part of Hardin County after debate over selection of name. An act to create Helm County honoring John LaRue Helm, then Speaker of the House, was amended by Senate to give the honor instead to Gabriel Slaughter. Compromise resulted in naming it Larue for those of that family who were among the early explorers and settlers of area.
Side Two
County Officials — 1843
. . . — Map (db m59976) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — Lincoln and Hodgen's Mill |
| | When Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, present day Hodgenville was known as Hodgen’s Mill. It was settled in 1789 on land owned by Robert Hodgen, owner and operator of the mill. This area also included a tavern and a store. Due east of this settlement was the Kirkpatrick stone house, which was one of the few places that Abraham Lincoln recalled from his early childhood in Kentucky.
Hodgen held several important positions in Hardin County. He was one of the first justices of . . . — Map (db m60045) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — Lincoln Knob Creek Farm |
| | Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth
president of the United States,
lived five years,1811 to 1816, on
this Knob Creek farm.
Reference to his Kentucky years,
Abraham stated “My earliest
recollection however, is of the
Knob Creek place...”
He and his sister Sarah,
attended their first school and
their younger brother, Thomas
Jr., was born and died here. — Map (db m6039) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — 120 — Lincoln Knob Creek Farm |
| | Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
lived on this 228 acre farm,
1811-1816. He wrote in 1860
"My earliest recollection is
of the Knob Creek place."
A younger brother was born here. — Map (db m6068) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — Living Off the Land — Lincoln Family at Knob Creek |
| | The Lincolns moved to Knob Creek after a title dispute forced them to leave Sinking Spring Farm. Here Thomas Lincoln rented 30 acres of fertile fields, hardly enough land to sustain a family in those times. Thomas and Nancy Lincoln grew corn and pumpkins, raised vegetables that could be eaten fresh in summer and dried to last through the winter, and grew herbs for medicines and dyes.
The crops you see here are similar to the ones they planted and are still grown by farmers in this valley . . . — Map (db m60006) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — Slavery in the Valley |
| | Abraham Lincoln most likely encountered slavery while living here as a young child in 1811, when Lincoln was two years old, this portion of Kentucky was part of Hardin County. At the time, there were 1,007 slaves in Hardin County, compared to 1,627 white males who were sixteen years of age or older. Five years later, when the Lincoln family moved from Kentucky, the owner of nearby Atherton’s Ferry owned eight slaves.
Historians are just beginning to learn about the history of slavery in . . . — Map (db m60024) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — The Boundary Oak |
| | Originally thought to be approximately 400 years old prior to its death in 1976, the park cut the remains of this magnificent oak in 1986. However, a study of the growth rings after its removal showed the tree to be approximately 195 years of age. Mentioned for the first time in 1832 as a corner to the property where Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809, the tree became known as the Boundary Oak. Having become associated with Abraham Lincoln as a historic landmark, the tree was carefully . . . — Map (db m13262) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — The Lincoln Tavern |
| | Hattie Howell Howard, born about ten miles from here in 1886, grew up hearing local lore about Abraham Lincoln. After her brother James opened the Nancy Lincoln Inn next to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Hattie looked for her own opportunity to honor the sixteenth president.
In 1928 she and her husband Chester purchased the Knob Creek Farm. The Howards hoped to preserve the land and use the site to share the story of Lincoln’s early years in Kentucky. To serve . . . — Map (db m60009) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — The Lincolns at Knob Creek |
| | Challenges to land titles were common in Kentucky’s early years, and the Lincoln family experienced these problems firsthand.
In 1811, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln moved here, to Knob Creek, with their two children, Sarah and Abraham. They leased thirty acres of bottomland along the Old Cumberland Trail, and it was here that their third child, Thomas, was born and died in infancy.
Abraham and his sister attended the local school, located two miles northeast of here. Two teachers, . . . — Map (db m60188) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — The Memorial Building |
| | This building was erected by the Lincoln Farm Association from funds obtained by popular subscription, mostly by American school children. The building, designed by John Russell Pope, was constructed 1909-1911 of Connecticut pink granite and Tennessee marble. Each of the 56 steps to the Memorial Building represents a year of Lincoln's life. The 16 ceiling rosettes symbolize Lincoln as having been 16th President of the United States. — Map (db m13259) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — The Sinking Spring |
| | The Thomas Lincoln family obtained its water supply from this spring; the infant child, Abraham, had his earliest drinks of water from this source. When Thomas Lincoln moved here in 1808, the 300-acre farm already was variously known as "Sinking Spring," "Rock Spring," or "Cave Spring" Farm, taking its name from this spring of water. — Map (db m13261) HM |
| Kentucky (Larue County), Hodgenville — Two Miles South of this town Abraham Lincoln was born ... |
| | Two miles south of this town Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809.
Erected with appropriations made by the Legislature of Kentucky and the Congress of the United States of America
Anno Domini MCMIX (1909) — Map (db m59996) HM |
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