A quality historic site was in the process of being born. The cabin, which had been the reason for the park's creation, had become at best a side show.Ī change in the perception of the park occurred apparently in the period 1974-75. Over the years following the reconstruction of the cabin the site became a small outdoor recreation area with a campground, shelter and picnic areas. Pressure for rebuilding the cabin grew and in the park building period of the 1930's, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the National Park Service and the State of Illinois cooperated to create the park and rebuild the Lincoln Cabin. He kept it until 1891 when the Abraham Lincoln Association bought the cabin and moved it to Chicago, where it was eventually destroyed. Illinois Parks and Recreation May/June 1981 13Īfter Thomas' death the cabin came under the ownership of John Hall, Lincoln's step-grandson. By 1840 Thomas had settled at the Goosenest Prairie farm which is now Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site. The Lincoln family soon after began a migration that is now memorialized in the Lincoln Heritage Trail that covers three states and ends up in Illinois with the Abraham Lincoln home at New Salem and the home of Thomas and Sarah, Abraham's stepmother, in Coles County. He became a farmer and married Nancy Hanks, who in 1809 became the mother of the future president, Abraham Lincoln. Thomas Lincoln was born in Virginia but moved with his family to the pioneer state of Kentucky. The major feature of the site is an accurate reconstruction of Thomas Lincoln's cabin on the site of the original cabin. The historical significance of this acreage is that it includes eighty acres purchased by Thomas Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's father, and six out of an original forty that were farmed by Thomas but owned by Abraham. In addition there is a native prairie remnant. Well established trees divide the eastern and western section. Lincoln Log contains crop fields, second growth trees, and both hardwood and pine plantings. The site has been farmed extensively leaving a poor soil which requires extensive management and erosion control. Two streams dominate the topography of the eastern end of the park, bisecting the park into valley in the east and high ground in the west. The site covers eighty-six acres, part of which has a moderate slope with a range in height of about forty feet. The configuration of the site provides a management tool that will be described later. The shape of the land at the site is a departure from the flat visage that is common to eastern Illinois. Other Department of Conservation sites in the immediate vicinity are Fox Ridge State Park, about five miles away, and the Moore Home State Historic Site, a mile from Lincoln Log that is managed by the Lincoln Log staff. Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site is located in Coles County south of Charleston, Illinois. The roots of the change were inherent to the form and history of the site. However, the net effect has been to upgrade both. The transition from park to historic site has meant that there have been changes in the relationship between historic and non-historic aspects priorities. The path has been far from easy, but through energy and perseverance major successes have been enjoyed and many objectives accomplished. The goal has been to provide the visitor with the maximum possible enjoyment and benefit from the resources available without damaging the resources or allowing one priority to overshadow another.Īt Lincoln Log Cabin that goal of maximized use was translated by the staff into an opportunity to create a first rate historic site. In the early 1970's changes in the historical awareness of the public and the Department of Conservation caused the emphasis on the historic aspects of the site to be increased and the outdoor recreational aspects to be re-examined in the light of proper usage of the resources of the area. It has since become a quality historic park that continues to provide major recreational opportunities. It now presents a successful blend of outdoor recreation on one hand, and historic interpretation, preservation, and restoration on the other.īefore the present innovations began the site was a small unimpressive recreational area. Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site has undergone a transformation since the early 1970's. Rathburn had been Assistant Historian for Northern Illinois, Site Superintendent at Shawneetown and Historic Site Surveyor before coming to District II. District II covers the central third of Illinois and includes such sites as Lincoln's New Salem, Lincoln's Tomb and others as well as Lincoln Log Cabin. Peter Rathburn is administrator (District Historican) for Historic District II of the Department of Conservation, Division of Historic Sites. Lincoln Log Cabin Site: History in Action
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