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27-608: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park is a designated U.S. historic park preserving two separate farm sites in LaRue County, Kentucky , where Abraham Lincoln was born and lived early in his childhood. He was born at the Sinking Spring site south of Hodgenville and remained there until the family moved to the Knob Creek Farm northeast of Hodgenville when he was two years old, living there until he

54-487: A hundred years after Thomas Lincoln moved from Sinking Spring Farm, a similar log cabin was placed inside the Memorial Building. The Memorial Building features 16 windows, 16 rosettes on the ceiling, and 16 fence poles, representing Lincoln being the 16th president. The 56 steps leading up to the building entrance represent his age at his death. The original log cabin that Lincoln was reputed to have been born in

81-546: A lack of indoor plumbing. In 1934, the National Park Service in its evaluation called the inn an "unacceptable adjacent commercialization", and red cedar trees were planted to obstruct the view of the inn from the memorial log cabin temple. Over 100,000 tourists went into the Nancy Lincoln Inn every year, mostly to buy souvenirs. It has undergone no major alterations in its years of service. It

108-495: A parade, shopping booths and concerts by local talent (mostly country , bluegrass and Southern gospel ). LaRue County has leaned heavily Republican in presidential elections since the turn of the century. Three-quarters of the county's overall vote went to Donald Trump in the 2016 election . 37°34′36″N 85°41′12″W  /  37.57667°N 85.68667°W  / 37.57667; -85.68667 Nancy Lincoln Inn Built in 1928 and named for Lincoln's mother ,

135-523: Is a county in the central region of the U.S. state of Kentucky , outside the Bluegrass Region and larger population centers. As of the 2020 census , the population was 14,867. Its county seat is Hodgenville , which is best known as the birthplace of United States President Abraham Lincoln . The county was established on March 4, 1843, from the southeast portion of Hardin County. It

162-733: Is now preserved as the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial . The cabin the Lincolns lived in was later moved and re-purposed by Austin Gollaher. Gollaher took down the old home and used the logs to build a horse stable about a mile down the road. Years later, the stable was washed away by a flood. The two historical buildings at the location are the Lincoln Tavern and the Gollaher Cabin. The Tavern

189-750: The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves ' Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. The Memorial building was constructed by the Lincoln Farm Association on the Sinking Spring site between 1909 and 1911. In 1916, they donated the Memorial and property to the Federal government, which established the Abraham Lincoln National Park on July 17, 1916. The War Department administered the site until August 10, 1933, when it

216-607: The Sinking Spring Farm, where Lincoln was born. At the Knob Creek home, Lincoln's brother, Thomas, was born and died. Lincoln himself almost died at the farm as well, nearly drowning in the nearby creek until neighbor and friend Austin Gollaher extended a branch to rescue him from the swollen waters. In December 1816, when Lincoln was almost eight years old, he moved with his family to a homestead in Indiana, which

243-408: The age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.94. The county population contained 25.00% under

270-468: The age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 32,056, and the median income for a family was $ 37,786. Males had a median income of $ 30,907 versus $ 20,091 for females. The per capita income for

297-471: The booming tourist trade that came to LaRue County to see sites connected with Lincoln, much as the Nancy Lincoln Inn was. It was originally a dance hall that served liquor, but when LaRue County became "dry" in 1942, it was converted to a museum and gift shop, as it remained until it was closed in 1998. During the 1980s, when it was privately owned 20,000 annually visited the complex. The farm

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324-474: The county was $ 15,865. 15.40% of the population and 12.60% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 18.90% are under the age of 18 and 16.40% are 65 or older. The county sponsors the annual Lincoln Days celebration on the first full weekend of October, Friday through Sunday. Highlights include the Lincoln Look-A-Like contests, rail-splitting competitions,

351-515: The county. The population density was 51 inhabitants per square mile (20/km ). There were 5,860 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8.5/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 94.65% White , 3.54% Black or African American , 0.19% Native American , 0.16% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.34% from other races , and 1.10% from two or more races. 1.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 5,275 households, out of which 32.50% had children under

378-546: The drainages of the eastern portions still wooded. The highest point (1,100 feet (340 meters) ASL) is a small hill near its border with Taylor County. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 264 square miles (680 km ), of which 262 square miles (680 km ) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km ) (0.8%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 13,373 people, 5,275 households, and 3,866 families in

405-482: The last rebuilt cabin was placed in the Memorial Building, its size made visitor circulation difficult. The LFA reduced the cabin's size from 16-by-18 feet to 12-by-17 feet. The Symbolic Birth Cabin represents the one Abraham Lincoln was born in on February 12, 1809. While the original was likely lost to time, the logs in this cabins date to mostly the 1840s and depicts a typical cabin of the mid 19th century, and had been lived in. Lincoln lived at Sinking Spring until he

432-399: The logs for this cabin, along with logs incorrectly reputed to have belonged to Jefferson Davis's birthplace and possibly a third cabin, were purchased by the Lincoln Farm Association (LFA), which believed they had acquired only Lincoln logs. When workers tried to reconstruct the cabin, they discovered the problem. The LFA bought a one-room cabin similar to the one reconstructed by Dennett. When

459-602: The many visitors who wished to visit the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln . The increase in tourism during the 1920s was due to the ease of transportation that newly paved roads for automobiles provided. James Howell was the original operator of the inn, from 1928 to 1946; his descendants have operated it ever since. The inn rented out the cabins and served food until World War II ; the cabins would once again be rented out after they were restored by their owners Carl and Sharon Howell Jr. in 2005, with air conditioning added. However, guests have to use an outside modern bathhouse due to

486-409: The one-story unhewn chestnut and red heart pine log building is of American Craftsman style with five bays. It has a stone foundation, limestone chimney, and gabled roof. To the east are four small overnight cabins also built in 1928. They are also of unhewn chestnut logs, concrete chinking , brick chimneys, and asphalt shingles . The Nancy Lincoln Inn and its cabins were built to serve

513-551: Was born, is preserved within a 1911 neoclassical memorial building at the site. On the site is a Visitor Center and the First Lincoln Memorial. A Beaux-Arts neo-classical Memorial Building was designed by John Russell Pope for the birthplace site. On February 12, 1909, the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, the cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt and the building was dedicated on November 9, 1911, by President William Howard Taft . Almost

540-533: Was built in 1933 at the cost of $ 4,200; the 1.5 floor structure was constructed of logs and concrete in an asymmetrical plan. The Gollaher Cabin was likely built around the year 1800, and moved to its present location to reflect what the Lincoln cabin would look like. It is thought to be the cabin Austin Gollaher's family lived in during Lincoln's stay at Knob Creek Farm. The tavern was built to cash in on

567-488: Was dismantled sometime before 1865. Local tradition held that some of the logs from the cabin were used in construction of a nearby house. New York businessman Alfred W. Dennett purchased the Lincoln farm in November 1894 and used the logs from this house to construct a cabin similar in appearance to the original cabin where Lincoln was born. Soon the cabin was dismantled and re-erected for exhibition in many cities. Eventually

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594-434: Was expanded to include the Knob Creek site on November 6, 1998. On March 30, 2009, the two sites were again designated a National Historical Park . The Sinking Spring site, which contains the 1911 memorial, has a visitor center museum, theater and bookstore. The Knob Creek site has interpretive staff during certain days in summer months. Both sites have hiking and picnic areas. LaRue County, Kentucky LaRue County

621-560: Was named for John P. LaRue , an early settler. LaRue County is included in the Elizabethtown - Fort Knox , KY Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Louisville/Jefferson County -Elizabethtown- Bardstown , KY- IN Combined Statistical Area . It is a dry county . The low rolling hills of LaRue County have been largely cleared and devoted to agriculture or urban development, with only

648-675: Was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 16, 1988, due to its role in tourism in LaRue County, Kentucky, and for its connections with Abraham Lincoln. More detail on the history and specifics of the site are covered in a 2006 NPS report. The Knob Creek site was added to the National park in November 2001 after the Larue County Fiscal Court purchased it from private owners through

675-406: Was seven years of age. The park's visitor center is located at the Sinking Spring site. In the late fall of 1808, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln settled on Sinking Spring Farm. Two months later on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born there in a one-room log cabin . Today this site bears the address of 2995 Lincoln Farm Road, Hodgenville, Kentucky . A cabin, symbolic of the one in which Lincoln

702-536: Was transferred to the National Park Service. It was designated as the Abraham Lincoln National Historical Park on August 11, 1939. It was renamed and redesignated Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site on September 8, 1959. As with all historic sites administered by the National Park Service, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places , effective on October 15, 1966. The historic site's definition

729-505: Was two years old, before moving with his family to another farm a few miles to the northeast along Knob Creek, near present-day U.S. Highway 31E , where he lived until the age of seven in 1816. The total acreage of Knob Creek Farm is 228 acres (92 ha), of which the Lincolns lived on 30 acres (12 ha). Lincoln's father, Thomas Lincoln, leased the land by the Old Cumberland Trail (now U.S. 31E ) in hopes of regaining

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