Lincoln State Park

Established in 1932, Lincoln State Park interprets the history of President Abraham Lincoln and his time living in Indiana as a boy and young man with his family. The former president’s family lived in Spencer County, Indiana when Lincoln was just seven years old and the county became their home for 14 years. Located in this park, visitors will find a replica of the log cabin that Lincoln lived in, as well as the cemetery where his oldest sister was laid to rest. This park was established by the state legislature of Indiana in an era when state and federal projects related to the historical landscape and outdoor recreation received significant public support.

Abraham Lincoln spent 14 years of his life living in a single log cabin with his family back in 1816. When his father moved his family next door to Illinois, they left behind the cabin they lived in and let it sink down to a single stone foundation. The cabin was preserved and was reconstructed into an exact replica of the first version. The entire homestead would be protected when the state legislators of Indiana helped create the Lincoln State Park which commemorates the time the former president spent in Indiana. On site, there is multiple locations for visitors to explore and learn.

There is the homestead and childhood home of Abraham Lincoln as well as the baptist church where his older sister is buried. Her name was Sarah Lincoln Grigsby and she passed away after having her first child, but her child didn’t make it since it was a stillborn. There is also the home of Col. William Jones, who was a Union General during the American Civil War and a politician himself. The house itself was built in 1834 where a general store would be opened right near it and Lincoln was employed there by the colonel. Col. Jones moved to Spencer County in 1828 and settled in with his wife raising five sons in his home.

There is also an amphitheater built on site that was constructed in 1987. The main theatrical play that would show at this place was called Young Abe Lincoln written by Billy Edd Wheeler, a writer and performer from West Virginia. The theater closed down in 2005 before reopening four years later with another show called Lincoln: Upon The Altar of Freedom. It was played and performed on the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth date. It was rewritten into a musical in 2011 where it recounted Lincoln’s childhood and major events during his presidential years. There is also the Lincoln Interpretive Center which is the park’s nature center and natural history museum.

“Lincoln State Park,” Indiana Department of Natural Resources . Accessed June 21st 2021. https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/lincoln-state-park/.

Bartelt, William E. “There I Grew Up: Remembering Abraham Lincoln’s Indiana Youth,” Indiana Historical Society. Published January 1st 2019. Accessed June 21st 2021.

White, Ronald C. “A. Lincoln: A Biography,” Random House Publishing Group. Published January 13th 2019. Accessed June 21st 2021.