Hodgenville in Larue County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

An Enduring Symbol

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2012

1. An Enduring Symbol Marker

Inscription. John Russell Pope's neoclassical architecture reflects the nation's adulation of Abraham Lincoln and its budding interest in historic preservation after the Civil War. The Lincoln Farm Association constructed this Memorial Building between 1907-1911 to preserve what was thought to be Lincoln's birth cabin as a "national shrine" perpetuating his life as an "abiding symbol of opportunity with which democracy endows men."

The association's dream came true in 1916 when the site was designated the Abraham Lincoln National Park. About 40 years later, further research revealed that the cabin was not the original Lincoln cabin. However, it remains an icon of Lincoln's humble beginnings.

(photo captions)
• Cornerstone for the Memorial Building was laid in 1909.
• President Theodore Roosevelt arriving to dedicate the construction of the Memorial Building on Abraham Lincoln’s 100th birthday, February 12, 1909.
• Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, at Sinking Spring Farm in a log cabin located where the enshrined log cabin now stands.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics and series.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Parks & Recreational Areas • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, the Former U.S. Presidents: #26 Theodore Roosevelt, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #27 William Howard Taft series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.

Location. 37° 31.87′ N, 85° 44.245′ W. Marker is in Hodgenville, Kentucky, in Larue County. It can be reached from Park Main Entrance west of Lincoln Farm Road (U.S. 31E). Marker is located along the walkway on the east side of the Lincoln Birthplace Memorial Building at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hodgenville KY 42748, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum

Marker detail: Lincoln Farm Association Certificate image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: Lincoln Farm Association Certificate

A certificate was given to every person who donated at least twenty-five cents to the Memorial Building Fund.

South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: An Idyllic Frontier Scene (here, next to this marker); The Sinking Spring (within shouting distance of this marker); The Memorial Building (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Sinking Spring (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Boundary Oak (about 300 feet away); Nancy Lincoln Inn (about 400 feet away); Abraham Lincoln Birthplace (about 500 feet away); Grave of Frontiersman / South Fork Baptist Church (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hodgenville.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Boundary Oak (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . The First Lincoln Memorial. For over a century people from around the world have come to rural Central Kentucky to honor the humble beginnings of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. His early life on Kentucky's frontier shaped his character and prepared him to lead the nation through Civil War.

Marker detail: President William Howard Taft image. Click for full size.

3. Marker detail: President William Howard Taft

President William Howard Taft, a member of the Lincoln Farm Association, dedicates the Memorial Building November 9, 1911.

The country's first memorial to Lincoln, built with donations from young and old, enshrines the symbolic birthplace cabin. (Submitted on August 19, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: Commemorative Ribbon image. Click for full size.

4. Marker detail: Commemorative Ribbon

Commemorative ribbons were made for Abraham Lincoln's Centennial. They represented county, state, and national levels. The ribbon shown here represents the national level.

June 6, 2012

5. An Enduring Symbol Marker

(rightmost of two adjacent markers at this location)

Lincoln Birthplace Memorial Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2012

6. Lincoln Birthplace Memorial Building

(inscription above entrance)
Here
over the log cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born
destined to preserve the Union and to free the slave
a grateful people have dedicated this memorial
to Unity Peace and Brotherhood among these States
With malice toward none • With charity for all

Symbolic birthplace cabin inside Lincoln Birthplace Memorial Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2012

7. Symbolic birthplace cabin inside Lincoln Birthplace Memorial Building

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 452 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 18, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 6. submitted on August 19, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 7. submitted on August 18, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.