The Greek Revival wood-sided home in Springfield, Illinois, built in 1839 and purchased by Abraham and Mary Lincoln in May 1844, was originally one and a half stories with five rooms and a sleeping loft. However, as Lincoln’s legal profession gained respect, he was able to afford a full second story and other renovations.
The home’s architectural style was hardly distinct. Yet when Lincoln joined the hotly contested 1860 race to become the nation’s 16th president, all eyes were on the home at the corner of Eighth and Jackson streets. So much interest was piqued, in fact, that the then widely read Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper sent an artist to sketch a few rooms. The detailed engravings provided readers nationwide with a glimpse of the eclectic décor in the only home the Lincolns would ever own.
Bedrooms are on the added second floor, with rooms for gathering and entertaining relegated to the first floor. The National Park Service shares that the Lincolns chose furnishings that “reflected the tastes of a prosperous mid-19th-century American family,” primarily a blend of revival styles such as Renaissance, Rococo, and Empire.
Lincoln Home Historic Site curator Susan Haake explained in an interview that about 50 artifacts remain in the home, with other antique pieces carefully selected to convey what the Lincolns owned. “They had a big sale before they left for Washington and decided to rent their home while they were away,” she said. “Some pieces were sold to locals, some were stored with Mary’s family, and the horsehair pieces were housed across the street.”
And while historically significant events happened inside the home, including the birth of three sons and the death of one, as well as a presidential nomination and appointment, it was still an everyday dwelling place, to be used and enjoyed as homes are supposed to be.
Deena Bouknight
Author
A 30-plus-year writer-journalist, Deena C. Bouknight works from her Western North Carolina mountain cottage and has contributed articles on food culture, travel, people, and more to local, regional, national, and international publications. She has written three novels, including the only historical fiction about the East Coast’s worst earthquake. Her website is DeenaBouknightWriting.com