This past summer, while visiting friends in Kentucky, my husband and I decided to take a side trip to visit Honest Abe’s birthplace.

When we arrived, the first thing we did was stop by the Visitor Center. Here, we browsed the exhibits that showed the tools that Lincoln’s father would have used when he lived here. Axes, whips, threshing forks and scythes reminded me of the tools that grandpa had used on his farm when I was a child. They brought back more than a few memories.

After my curiosity was satisfied, we once again entered the Memorial Building. We viewed the film, Lincoln: The Kentucky Years, which we both enjoyed. Kentucky certainly was a lot different back then compared to what we’ve seen on our visits.

When the film was over, we took a walk outside and admired the Memorial Building, which is made of marble and granite before continuing over to the spring that flows out of a ledge and cascades into a natural sinkhole below. This is where the Lincoln’s went to get water for drinking, bathing and all household tasks. This spot is lovely and we both enjoyed the tranquil setting.

Licoln House

Abraham Lincoln only lived on this farm until he was two. At that time, his father, Thomas, purchased a farm at Knob Creek, which is just ten miles northeast of the Heritage Site.

The wood rail fences that border the site look the same today as they would have when the Lincoln’s lived here. These also brought back childhood memories, for many a time I’ve climbed onto the top rail of a split rail fence and idled away the hours munching on a freshly picked apple, daydreaming and enjoying a beautiful autumn day.

One the west side of the Lincoln farm stood an old white oak. In 1805, the surveyor recorded this tree and specified the huge oak as a boundary marker. Insects and the elements have wrecked havoc on the tree and today all that remains is a stump. The tree was estimated to be 28 years old when Lincoln was born. Today, the stump is significant in that it is one of the original boundary markers of the Lincoln farm.

My husband and I both enjoyed the visit to Lincoln’s birthplace. The atmosphere was such that we felt as if we had stepped through a time warp and entered Lincoln’s home of the early 1800’s. 

If you are in the vicinity of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, be sure to see the birthplace of this great President. Take Highway 65 South to exit 91 and follow the Lincoln Parkway approximately 14 miles to the park.