Lincoln Home NHS | National Park Kids!

Lincoln Home

National Historic Site

About the Park

Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the home of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois along with a block of surrounding neighborhood. Lincoln lived in this home with his wife and family from 1844-1861.

Key activities:

Lincoln Home. Free, timed tickets are required for the ranger-guided house tour. Tickets are available first come first serve at the beginning of each day.
Visitor Center and films. At the visitor center, there is a 23 minute film overview of his life. There are also two additional 10 minute films that go into greater detail about his home.
Springfield Historic Neighborhood. As seen in the map below, a block of home north and south of the Lincoln Home are preserved. Two of the homes (in black on the map) have exhibits about the Lincoln home and the area.

Lincoln Home NHS NPS Site

Discussion Topics

Abraham Lincoln was well known for his honesty. He charged his clients a fair fee and always told the truth. In what ways do you think honestly may have helped Lincoln in his life? Why is it important for us to be honest and in what ways can it help us?
Abraham spent many months of each year traveling. Mary spent a lot of time managing the house and the children on her own. Do you notice things in the house that would have made her life easier?
From the desk in Lincoln's room, he wrote a speech with the famous line: a house divided against itself cannot stand. What did Lincoln mean by that at the time? What might that mean for us right now?

Maps