Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Regions 3, 4, & 5 Park Cultural Landscapes Program

Lincoln Home National Historic Site (NHS), located in Springfield, Illinois, was formally established in August of 1971. The historic site protects and interprets the home where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1844 to 1861. The Lincoln lot and house remained under Lincoln family ownership until 1884. In that year, Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, gifted the property to the state of Illinois with the stipulation that the home be well maintained and available to the public free of charge. In 1960 the home was designated a National Historic Landmark, and the property was transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) in 1972. The NHS is composed of a four square-block area in downtown Springfield, near the state capitol, and it contains several historic destinations related to Abraham Lincoln. Primary historic resources at the site include the Lincoln Home and lot; the view of the neighborhood from the Lincoln Home; the historic neighborhood landscape, including the area that comprises the historic core; and views of the Lincoln Home from adjacent properties. In addition to the NHS preserving the home itself, maintaining these views helps to provide a fuller understanding of the home’s neighborhood context. Beyond the historic core, the site includes visitor services and a recreational area. Buildings of varying conditions and uses surround the Lincoln Home, including the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Stuve House. A park known as Legacy Gardens was developed in the 1980s on the east end of the site, providing a buffer between the historic core of deciduous trees, ornamental understory trees, and deciduous and evergreen shrubs. The Morse House is located at the northwest corner of this area, and the majority of this area continues to be used for open space and recreation. Landscape character areas are parts of larger cultural landscapes that are defined by their physical qualities and the cultural resources present. Three landscape character areas are used to organize and interpret the Lincoln Home cultural landscape, closely aligned with the management zones delineated in the park’s General Management Plan. The Visitors Services Area includes the NHS Visitor Center and parking areas, as well as the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Historic Core Area includes the four half-blocks that are interpreted as the Lincoln neighborhood, including the Morse House and the Stuve House. The eastern portion of the NHS is defined as the Open Space/Recreation Area (Legacy Gardens). The significance of the cultural landscape is derived from its association with the life of Abraham Lincoln and the events leading to his prominence as United States President. Based on the historic facts of the 1844 to 1861 period and the mourning period, the neighborhood in which Lincoln lived before his presidency continues to be an important memorial destination with a high level of historic significance. However, the integrity of the NHS cultural landscape is relatively low due to the fact that the majority of the character-defining features from the period of significance have been lost. Integrity was diminished when changes were made to the street alignment and pavement, vegetation was removed, historic dwellings were significantly altered or razed, and small scale features such as fences, lamp posts, and hand pumps were lost. These combined changes significantly diminish the integrity of the cultural landscape as it exists today.

Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Lincoln Home National Historic Site

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