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Lincoln Home National Historic Site

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Lincoln Home National Historic Site

At Lincoln Home National Historic Site you can follow in the footsteps of the father, husband, lawyer Please be considerate of other fan's opinions.
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06/05/2026

Thank goodness it's Factual Friday! As a treat for making it through another week, it's time to answer another popular question we get at the Lincoln Home. This week we're diving into the question, "Where did Abraham Lincoln's family come from?"

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. Before the Lincolns found themselves in Kentucky, generations of Lincolns moved west across the country in search of more land and opportunity.

Samuel Lincoln arrived in America from England in 1637, settling in Hingham, Massachusetts. Like many colonial families, the Lincolns were farmers. Samuel's descendants moved in search of better farmland in New Jersey, then Pennsylvania, and eventually Virginia. In 1768, John Lincoln moved his family to Virginia and one of his sons, Abraham, settled in the Shenandoah Valley. This Abraham was the grandfather of President Abraham Lincoln.

By 1782, Abraham had moved his family to the Kentucky frontier. Abraham had five children, one of them was Thomas Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln's father. Lincoln's ancestors followed a similar path many European settlers followed, traveling west to find opportunity and success on the American frontier.

Alt Text:
Image 1: A black and white photo of Thomas Lincoln, President Lincoln's father, sitting in a suit.
Image 2: The symbolic, wooden log cabin at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

Image Credits:
1: Library of Congress
2: NPS

06/02/2026

TUESDAY, June 2, 2026: Due to continued problems with the air-conditioning system, tours inside the Lincoln Home have been cancelled for the day. The Visitor Center is open until 5:00. Staff will provide ranger talks using images of the Lincoln Home interior in the Visitor Center theater.

06/01/2026

MONDAY, June 1, 2026: Due to high internal temperatures inside the Lincoln Home, tours have been cancelled for the rest of the day.

05/31/2026

Last month, Lincoln Home hosted an animal adoption event with the Animal Protective League (APL) and a B.A.R.K. Ranger event with Looking for Lincoln. We are happy to report that some furry friends found their forever homes! Thank you to everyone who came out to see and play with all the cute cats and dogs and a huge thanks to the APL and Looking for Lincoln for their support. We were also able to swear in many new B.A.R.K. Rangers who learned about the importance of recreating responsibly outdoors. Please enjoy these adorable animal pictures from the event, we certainly did!

Alt Text:
1: A park ranger standing in front of the Lincoln Home and holding a tiny tabby kitten.
2: A park ranger crouching next to a black dog with trees and greenery in the background.
3: A man smiling and holding a B.A.R.K. Ranger badge and certificate with a black dog next to him.
4: Two people and a small tan and white dog sitting behind a table advertising the B.A.R.K. Ranger program.
5: Two small tabby kittens in a kennel.

Image Credits: NPS

Looking For Lincoln Animal Protective League

05/04/2026

Due to a local 5K race, SATURDAY, MAY 9 from 7:30-11:30 am, 7th Street, the street leading to both Lincoln Home parking lots will be closed and there will be no parking on site. Street parking will also not be available along 7th St.

04/29/2026

Welcome to the neighborhood! Today we are meeting another one of Abraham Lincoln's neighbors, Jared P. Irwin.

In 1837, the Illinois General Assembly authorized the state capital of Illinois to be moved from Vandalia to Springfield. A new Capitol building was designed and set to be constructed in the recently minted capital city of Springfield. Irwin moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Springfield around this time. He was a bricklayer and stone mason and found work assisting in the construction of the new Capitol building (known today as the Old State Capitol), pictured here.

Irwin wrote in his daily diary about his experiences working on the building, "June 22, 1837. I this day commenced laying the foundation of the Capitol, or State House, at $2.50 pr. day." He also wrote entries about the different groups that passed through Springfield on their way to land west of the Mississippi. After the construction of the Capitol building was completed, Irwin moved back to Philadelphia and got married. In the 1850s, he returned to Springfield with his wife and moved into a home down the street from the Lincoln family. The home is no longer standing, but thanks to Irwin's diary, we can learn about the things he saw and people he encountered while working on a historic Illinois building.

Alt Text: A large stone building with many windows and a white cupola with a red dome. This is the Old State Capitol building in present day.

Image Credit: NPS

04/24/2026

No better day than a Factual Friday! This week we are answering a peculiar question, "What did money look like when Lincoln was president?"

If you have seen a U.S. $5 bill since 1914, you have seen Abraham Lincoln's face looking back at you. But who was on the money when Lincoln was president? Lincoln's time as a face on American money actually began in 1861 while he was president. To finance the Civil War, the U.S. Department of Treasury began issuing Demand Notes, the first paper money widely circulated by the U.S. government. Demand Notes, also called 'greenbacks" because of the green ink printed on the back, came in denominations of $5, $10, and $20 and were essentially government IOUs redeemable in gold or silver "upon demand" at specific banks across the country. Lincoln appeared on the $10 Demand Note, as seen here.

In 1862, the U.S. switched from Demand Notes to United States notes. These notes were used until 1971 and were also nicknamed "greenbacks". United States notes were issued longer than any other U.S. paper money. In 1913, the Federal Reserve Act was passed which established the Federal Reserve as the nation's central bank and the Federal Reserve Note as the nation's new currency. United States notes and the new Federal Reserve Note overlapped in use for over 50 years. The Federal Reserve Note is what is still printed and used in the U.S. today. Reprising his role on U.S. currency, Lincoln appeared on the $5 bill starting in 1914.

Alt Text: United States $10 Demand Note printed with green ink and a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the left, an eagle in the middle, and a statue representing art on the right.

Image Credit: U.S. Department of the Treasury

04/18/2026

Are you in the market for a new best friend? A Fido of your own? If you said yes, come and join us on Saturday, April 25 from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. for an adoption event in partnership with Springfield's Animal Protective League (APL)! The APL’s Mobile Adoption Unit will be on-site with adoptable cats and dogs. APL staff and volunteers will be available to process adoptions and set you up with your new furry friend!

If you already have an adventure buddy, you can still stop by and participate in our new B.A.R.K. Ranger program! This program encourages responsible recreation with pets outdoors as they join you on your adventures. Pets can even earn their very own B.A.R.K. Ranger badge!

Alt Text: Blue graphic for an adoption event at Lincoln Home National Historic Site featuring two dogs and information about the adoption event happening on Saturday, April 25 from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Image Credit: NPS

Animal Protective League

04/13/2026

Ding, ding, ding! Went the trolley... Did you know that the city streetcar service used to run past the Lincoln Home? Originally pulled by horses starting in 1866, two companies provided trolleys for city dwellers, but also had a set stop in front of Lincoln Home for visitors. The companies later merged into the Springfield Consolidated Railway Co. in 1893 and electrified their cars. The last streetcar run took place on January 1, 1938 (source: SangamonLink, www.sangamoncountyhistory.org).

The trolley can be seen far up the street on the left, while a lady in a white blouse waits next to the fire hydrant in front of the Lincoln Home in this circa 1910 postcard. The trees lining the street block the view of the other houses in the neighborhood—thankfully the Lincoln Home had a striped awning over the front door to make it easier to find for visitors. And what is that thing at the top of the postcard, seemingly floating above the intersection? That's not some sort of early drone, but is, in fact, an early streetlight. The wires holding it in place have almost faded out of the image.

Alt-text: Colorized photo postcard looking up a tree-lined street in front of the Lincoln Home, which is marked with a large striped awning over the front door. A streetcar is barely visible in the lower left corner, and a large glass bulb hanging from crossed wired is at the center top of the card.

03/30/2026

Did the month of March come in like a lion or a lamb? If you believe the old saying, it should depart in the opposite way—is the weather holding up this tradition in your area? Spring weather in the Midwest is predictable only in that it is unpredictable! In the meantime, we can enjoy depictions of a lion and a lamb in the museum collection while we wait out March weather.

The lamb figurine decorates the Front Parlor on one of the whatnot shelves. The Lincolns had several small figurines on the shelves of the two whatnots much like this little lamb.

The lion is part of a well-known mark still used by many manufacturers based in Great Britain. The mark features a lion and a unicorn holding up the Seal of Great Britain topped with a crown, indicating royal approval of the company. Many of the plates, cups, saucers (like this one) found in the backyard of the Lincoln Home have this makers mark on them. Most dishware used by Americans in the 1850s was made in England.

Alt-text: Photos 1 & 3: Overall and close up images of a stamp on the underside of a white ceramic dish shows a lion and a unicorn standing on their hind legs holding an oval shield topped with a crown. The dish is cracked through the lion's head. Underneath is states "Royal Patent/ Ironstone/ Tomkinson. Broa..." Photo 2: shows a small three-dimensional ceramic lamb looking over its left shoulder standing on a white base.

Address

426 S 7th Street
Springfield, IL
62701

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12174924241

Website

http://www.nps.gov/liho

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