“I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington." Abraham Lincoln left his home of seventeen years (1844-1861) to serve as president of a nation on the verge of Civil War. The Lincoln home has been restored to its 1860 appearance, revealing Lincoln as husband, father, and politician. Your tour of this national treasure will be conducted by National Park Service Park Rangers. Free tickets are required and may be obtained at the Lincoln Home Visitor Center.

Also visit a variety of exhibits throughout the historic site which can be toured on a self-guided basis.

The Visitor Center contains a large model of 1860 Springfield with sights and sounds of the local townspeople experiencing the notoriety of having a presidential candidate right in their own backyard. In the exhibit, “The Springfield Lincoln Knew,” Lincoln rose from a country lawyer and sometime politician, to state legislator and U.S. Congressman, inventor, storyteller, corporate lawyer, and finally, President-elect. Films and a Museum Shop are also available.

Dean House: “What a Pleasant Home Abe Lincoln Has,” explores the history of the Lincoln Home and the Lincoln family.

Arnold House: “If These Walls Could Talk: Saving an Old House” explains the preservation and restoration process of a historic house and tells the story of the residents that occupied the house.

Outdoor exhibits throughout the historic neighborhood emphasize the Lincolns and the community they lived with exhibits on Politics, Economic and Ethnic Diversity, Mary Lincoln’s Circle of Friends, Lincoln’s Home Becomes a Shrine, and Daily Life.


Admission:
Free