Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial State Park in Indiana

Lincoln State Park is a 1,747 acre park was originally established as a memorial to Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s mother in 1932. The recreational facilities found in the park were established by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC built Lake Lincoln, the boat rental building, many of the trails and the lakeside shelter. The CCC was a national program designed during the great depression to provide jobs to unemployed young men. In addition to the areas of the park named after Abraham Lincoln and his family; the home of Colonel Jones, merchant who employed a young Abraham Lincoln, can be visited while in the park.

Lincoln State Park offers camping facilities with or without electricity, cabins, and cottages for guests. Currently, a burn ban is in place due to the lack of rain but

grills and lanterns are allowed. There is also canoe, paddleboat and rowboat rental. There is a boat launch ramp and fishing is permitted. Shelters are available for picnics and there is a general store in the park. The southern part of the park was named after Abraham Lincoln’s only sister, Sarah Lincoln Woods, and is a nature preserve. Lincoln State Park is in a perfect location for other activities in the area and a fun place to camp while on vacation.

One of the most celebrated presidents of the United States of America was Abraham Lincoln. The 16^th President of the United States of America was from the Midwest and there are still memorials in the area about his early life. His father moved the family from Kentucky to Indiana in 1816 when Lincoln was a boy to the area that is now Lincoln City, Indiana. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and State Park Amphitheater is part of Lincoln State Park.

The memorial building itself was built in 1944 and is a one-story building made of limestone ashlar. Inside the building are five sculpted murals of Abraham Lincoln at different points in his life.  This building also contains a small theater and shows a film about Abraham Lincoln’s life.  An adjoining hall contains a museum with artifacts and exhibits about Lincoln’s life. There is also a gallery with portraits and lithographs of Lincoln and his family.  There is even an original painting of Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Weddings and other gatherings are frequently held in the chapel and meeting hall.

A short distance from the memorial building is a living historical farm. The farm is a replica of the 1820’s farm complete with rangers, in period clothes, who share their knowledge of the activities and items on the working farm. They even have livestock, homegrown crops and farm implements that would have been used during that time.

The location of the original cabin had been located by professional archaeologists in 1917 and is able to be viewed from behind a barricade to preserve the site from any further deterioration. All that remains Is a sandstone foundation. Abraham Lincoln’s father, Thomas had moved the family to the Little Pigeon Creek Settlement in 1816 and was able to build their cabin in four days time to provide them shelter before winter.

Unfortunately, Nancy Hanks Lincoln only lived for about two years after the move to the settlement. In September of 1818 much of the community became deathly ill from ‘milk sickness;’ a disease that came from drinking the milk from cows that had eaten white snakeroot plants. Mrs. Lincoln was buried in a gravesite behind the cabin.

The Little Pigeon Creek Baptist Church was the church that Lincoln and his family attended after they relocated to the area and the church cemetery is where his only sister, Sarah, was buried after dying during childbirth in January of 1826.

The peace and quiet of Lincoln State Park is such a wonderful break from the day to day busy lives that everyone leads. Visiting the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a great way to spend the day with the family enjoying the great outdoors and learning about one of the most well known presidents in America’s history.

Another exciting feature inside Lincoln State Park is the 1500 seat outdoor covered amphitheatre, complete with concessions. Originally built in 1986-1987 the first play to be performed was ‘Young Abe Lincoln. The play ran each season until 2005. Lincoln: Upon the Alter of Freedom completed its second season in August of 2010. A night at the amphitheatre’s Lincoln experience schedule:

6:00 p.m. Pre-show activities (pioneer games for kids, musicians playing period music and other crafts people using a spinning wheel or weaving

6:30 p.m. Black Buggy catered sit-down meal (optional)

7:00 p.m. Visiting the exhibit about President Lincoln.

7:30 p.m. A live play: Lincoln: Upon the Altar of Freedom, written by Ken Jones, is a play documenting Lincoln’s boyhood years in Indiana and his years as president.

8:15 p.m. Intermission

8:30 p.m. Return to live play: Lincoln: Upon the Altar of Freedom.

9:15 p.m. The play concludes.

9:30 p.m. Intermission before the post play concert

9:45 p.m. Musical Tribute A Concert in the Park: A Celebration of Lincoln's Life and Times Through Music.

10:15 p.m. The post-show concert ends

With the season changing, the amphitheatre will be showing movies instead of the play. Admission to the movies is free but donations are accepted. The amphitheatre opens an hour before show time.  If attending the movies on October 2, 9, 29, and 30; there is a costume contest at 6:30 CDT.  To enter the park, there is a $5 fee per Indiana vehicle and $7 fee per out-of-state vehicles. Outside food and drinks are not permitted for the movies but there is a full service concession available.  Movie times are:

October 1:  Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, 7:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. CDT.

October 2:Casper,7:30 p.m. CDT.

October 8: Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds,7:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. CDT.

October 9:Ghostbusters I,7:30 p.m. CDT, Ghostbusters II,10:30 p.m. CDT

October 15:Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo,7:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. CDT.

October 22:Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho,7:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. CDT.

October 29:Twilight,7:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. CDT.

October 30:Twilight Saga: New Moon,7:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. CDT.

The rest of the park and Lincoln Boyhood Memorial will be open so a movie would be a great way to end the day of visiting the museum, the cabin and walking trails around the park. The serenity in the park added to the history of Abraham Lincoln followed by a movie would be a great day for the whole family.