In 1909, the centennial year of Abraham Lincoln's birth, the Lincoln Farm Association, a nonprofit group, bought 110 acres of the original farm where Lincoln was born. They raised $350,000 and hired a famous architect to design an elaborate memorial building. It looks a bit out of place in rural Kentucky. A small log cabin is the only thing inside. The cabin was promoted as the birth cabin but when the site became part of the National Parks, the National Park Service raised doubts. It wasn't until 2004 that the logs were accurately dated to 1848 erasing any doubts that it was Lincoln's birth cabin.
The site has a small visitor center with a few exhibits and a short video. Visitors can walk up the 56 steps of the monument which symbolize the years Lincoln lived. There are also a couple of hiking trails.
The museum is accessible. A boardwalk with a gentle slope and paved walkway provide access to the memorial building which is accessible. Part of the Big Sink Trail which is located on the opposite side of US 31E is supposed to be accessible but we did not try it. The Boundary Oak Trail is accessible for a short distance then heads steeply downhill. A partial view of Sinking Spring can be seen from the paved walkway at the base of the monument steps.
The RV parking lot is a gravel pull though uphill from the visitor center. The gravel is very difficult to push through so visitors in wheelchairs may wish to be dropped off at the visitor center, During slow times it may be possible to park across the spaces in the far section of the paved lot.
Park 37.53031, -85.735
No comments:
Post a Comment