Perfect fall trip: Lincoln boyhood sites to visit in Southern Indiana

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Spencer County, Indiana (the South Central part of the state) is home to some important and interesting Abraham Lincoln boyhood sites to visit – and makes a perfect fall weekend with the trees turning a kaleidescope of colors against the backdrop of the Ohio River. Lincoln spent his boyhood – from age 7 until 21 – on a homestead of 160 wooded acres in Lincoln City, Indiana (next to Santa Claus, Indiana, home to Holiday World). It is now home to the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, and one of the best historical sites in Indiana. 

Disclosure: Part of our visit was hosted by The Spencer County Visitors Bureau, so some attractions were complimentary. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Visitor Center is a beautiful limestone building with reliefs carved in stone of key time periods in Lincoln’s life. We were delighted to hear a ranger talk about those momentous episodes. The building was actually erected in the middle of World War II, when very few projects like it in the US were underway, signifying the importance of preserving the area and Lincoln’s time in Indiana. The Center also includes an informative film and exhibits, including a desk that his father, Thomas, made. 

Alex and I loved learning more about this heroic president’s boyhood. Did you know that he only received about one year of formal school education? His time in Indiana was spent reading (he often walked 17 miles just to get a new book), chopping wood to sell to steamboats traversing the Ohio River, and helping on the family homestead.

The homestead is now represented by a living historical farm where rangers dressed in period attire, tell about life at Lincoln’s home and participate in activities central to their daily life like feeding chickens, harvesting vegetables from their garden, hewing wood, and mending socks. We enjoyed watching one of them learning demonstrating how to milk a cow. While the homestead is a recreation of the original, the foundation of the Lincoln’s family home is marked nearby.

Also, on site is a natural spring (one of the reasons historians believe the Lincolns chose this acreage), few short trails and a memorial grave marker for Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abe’s mother who died while living there. Take advantage of the short trails to see some of the beautiful fall colors as well.

Lincoln’s Boyhood National Memorial was the perfect amount of history and things to do for a 9-year old and mom who appreciate history, but enjoy more of the headlines versus the in-depth story. You can easily spend an hour or more here, though.

And, just across the street (Hwy 15) is Lincoln State Park where you can hike 10 miles of trails, enjoy two scenic lakes – swimming, paddleboading and canoeing – and visit the interpretive center. You can also tour the Colonel Jones Home – the house owned by a man who employed Abe when he was young. Abe’s sister Sarah is also buried in a cemetary in the park. It’s also a great spot to stay during your trip to Southern Indiana – the park has both cabins and campgrounds.

Continuing on our Lincoln’s boyhood journey about 20 miles southwest of Santa Claus is Rockport, Indiana, famous from the film “A League of Their Own” and the Rockport Peaches women’s baseball team. There is also quite a bit of Lincoln history and footsteps to follow here.

Lincoln Pioneer Village

The Lincoln Pioneer Village recreates village life in the era of Lincoln’s boyhood (1820s and 30s). There are 15 cabins which represent different parts of a village during that time – homes, a general store, school, church and inn. The cabins are all original from the area and put together just as they would have been built in the early 1800s – no nails or concrete. We were delighted to get a guided tour from Joe, a former teacher, who told us stories about each of the buildings.

The James Gentry mansion (so called because it was two stories versus just one) had the best story. James’ son, Allen, and Abe Lincoln were good friends, and embarked on a momentous journey together. In 1828, James hired Abe to go on a flatboat with Allen from Rockport to New Orleans. In New Orleans, Lincoln saw slaves being sold in the market square and was outraged. 

It deeply affected young Abe, and was likely one of the single most important episodes in his life.  I like to think that this trip from Indiana may have changed the course of history. About a mile or so from the village, is the launch site for their trip, below the bluffs of the Ohio River. There is a stone placard marking the site. Alex and I marveled at the significance of that trip and enjoyed taking steps in a path that Lincoln might have made. For fun, there are also stairs up to the bluffs so you can climb up and explore them a bit.

The Schoolhouse represented the school Abe and sister Sarah attended when they weren’t needed at home. The siblings walked 8 miles a day to get there. Alex enjoyed seeing the chalk and chalkboards at each student’s seat – and wondered what they were until we showed him! Talk about a kid used to technology in his classroom!

Another important building was the general store. Abe worked in the store for 25 cents a day, but more importantly, he loved chatting with the locals about politics and the town news. It’s here where he may have learned his exceptional skills as an orator.

There is also a museum with hundreds of antiquities from the area – including a hutch that Abe and his father built for a family friend. Kids can do a scavenger hunt looking for treasures throughout the exhibits including an Old Maid game, a key to an old jail cell, and a wooden carving of Abe Lincoln.

It was especially poignant for Alex, age 9, to be walking through the village and listening to the stories of those who lived or worked in the cabins. He was the same age that Abe was when he lived in Indiana.

I had never heard of the Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum until I started researching the area, but we loved it. The Lincoln boyhood sites we visited – Boyhood National Memorial and the Pioneer Village — should be a field trip that all Indiana students should take. It’s a great snapshot of the early 1800s and provides some insight into the boy that Abe was. And, how his early years in Indiana likely influenced him as a man and president – his work ethic, his desire to learn, and his belief that “all men are created equal.”