Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site
add photosLincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site preserves the site of the 1840s farm of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and stepmother of our 16th president. Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer living in Springfield by the time his parents moved here in 1837, but he did visit them periodically.
Today, Lincoln Log Cabin is an 86-acre historic site that is owned and operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Division of Historic Sites. The site includes an accurate reproduction of the Lincolns' two-room cabin that was constructed on the original cabin site in 1935 as a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) project. A working living history farm has been developed around the cabin, and a second farmstead, the Stephen Sargent Farm, has been moved to the site to help broaden visitors' understanding of 1840s rural life in Illinois. One mile north is the Moore Home State Historic Site, a reconstructed frame home where Abraham Lincoln bid his stepmother farewell in January of 1861 before leaving to assume the Presidency.
2 Reviews for Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site
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"Living History Weekends too"
This is the Lincoln Family log cabin and farm. The visitors center has a small museum and a short film presentation. Both are very well done, especially for their size and duration. The museum section is interesting and has interactive speech pieces.
The cabin and farmstead have period furniture and pieces in them, which makes it more interesting. My 8 year old boy had a blast. He loved seeing the underground area where they stored food and couldn't believe how small the cabin was.
We went during a living history weekend, which I think is the best time to go because the "characters" will enteract with you, explaining what they're doing or going to do next, etc.
There is a gift shop, indoor restrooms, and during living history weekends they usually offer a lunch for a small fee (historically accurate of course). There is plenty of parking and a picnin area.
The Sargent Farm is on the same property, which is farmstead from the same era. It is an interesting contrast to the Lincoln farmstead. Lincoln was a subsistance farmer and Sargent was more of a commercial farmer, when the idea of commercial farming was just starting and not always successful.
We had a great time. The tours are self-paced and are both indoor and outdoor so there is plenty of chances for fidgety kids to run and jump between displays. Both farms are very family friendly and volunteers are invested in keeping history alive.
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"Summer Event Rocks"
The Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site preserves the last home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s father and stepmother. Thomas Lincoln purchased a farm in 1840 and worked the land, using traditional methods to grow corn, oats, and wheat. The family also raised livestock, including hogs, sheep, milk cows, chickens, and geese. Their own food garden included potatoes and other vegetables.
Today an accurate replica of the Lincolns’ cabin, reconstructed from old photographs and affidavits, stands on the original site. (The original cabin had been moved to Chicago in 1892 for the World’s Columbian Exposition and was subsequently lost—and don’t ask how you can lose a whole cabin.) A garden, orchard, and crop field have been planted with varieties from the 1800s.
During summer the site becomes even more of a living-history farm, with costumed interpreters playing the roles of the Lincoln family and their neighbors. They work in the fields, do housework, and (for the kids) play games of the period, and they speak in the Southern Upland dialect used on the farm (yes, it’s still English). Food is prepared using recipes from 1840s cookbooks. Costumed interpreters are on-site from May through October.
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