November 19
It is early morning on this 323rd day of the year 2023. I am getting ready to drive to Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace NHP. I will post comments tomorrow after I am back in Ohio.
Well, it took one additional day for me to get to this page. I slept most of yesterday. The day began at 8:30 AM, for the drive to the park from Elizabethtown. Being only a 22-minute distance, the full convenience of Elizabethtown should suit anyone who is visiting this park. My brother, Mike, was already in the parking lot, along some other folks. At many parks, rangers will arrive a little earlier than the posted opening time and open the road gates. We said “hi” and a few seconds later Deb drove up in her Smart car. Deb helped organize this official Meet-Up for the NPTC. She brings homemade cookies to all Meet-Ups. Today she added a large almond pound cake for the celebration. We entered the VC and setup shop on a table across the room from the bookstore. Mike and his daughter Madison then arrived, followed by my wife, Elizabeth. Amy and Patrick were the last members to arrive. Ranger Christian had been asked to lead our group around the park for a guided tour. We started by stopping at the Memorial Building scale model, which is on a path that goes by the Nancy Lincoln Inn. Though the inn is not within the boundary of the park, its history is connected to the park. Travelers in the early 20th century needed some place to stay while walking the grounds of the park, and the inn was on the front doorstep, so to speak. Not too many inns existed in this area during that time, so this lodging had a bit of a monopoly.
The next stop was at the base of the steps which lead up to the Memorial Building. Christian discussed the Sinking Spring, the freshwater source from which Abe probably had his first drink of water. Its hole is right next to the steps. About 50 yards further is where the Boundary Oak once grew. The tree was 150 yards from the cabin in which Abe was born, acting as an anchor for survey points which indicated boundary lines for the farms. It was the last living entity which was around during Thomas Lincoln’s stay on this property. It died in 1976 at about 200 years of age and 6-feet in diameter, due to flooding which occurred in this low basin section of the property. Christian said most oaks will live upwards of 400 years. After its death the NPS cut down the tree, in 1986, for safety concerns. A section of the tree is in the VC.
The final stop was at the Memorial Building. Christian pointed out the cornerstone which Theodore Roosevelt laid in 1909. He also had a photograph from 1865 in which two young boys can be seen looking out the windows of a high-rise building in New York City watching the funeral procession of the slain president (there were multiple funerals for Lincoln across the country). One of those boys was Roosevelt. We all walked into the building to view the original log cabin. Yes, it is original, but not to Thomas Lincoln, rather to a neighbor. After Thomas moved his family to Knob Creek (also a part of this National Park unit), the Lincoln cabin fell into disrepair, with neighbors helping themselves to the remains. I have heard a story that maybe one or two of the logs in this cabin came from Thomas Lincoln’s cabin. No one knows for sure.
Deb served her cookies and cake back in the VC. We talked with the staff, had everyone sign a 11”x14” poster showing Lincoln milestones (I enjoy collecting signatures of famous people, such as MLB and NFL players, and WW2 veterans), said our good-byes, and headed to Joel Ray’s Lincoln Jamboree for lunch. If you are in Hodgenville and need a meal, stop here to take in the decor and enjoy some home cooked food. I handed out Mini-block sets to each attendee. These are from various National Parks. Not all parks have them. They are basically miniature Lego sets. The set for Yosemite NP is of Half-Dome, while Fort Sumter NHP is of Fort Sumter itself. Etc, etc, etc. We had a fun lunch. I told Mike about the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen in Louisville. If you want awesome pies, stop here. Winds up, he did. But I had to make Columbus, Ohio by 5 PM so I could visit with my cousin Kurt and his wife Cindi. They had been following me from Day 1 on this Quest.
So, thank you to everyone who kept track of my journey. Hopefully, you learned something new about the National Park Service and the 425 parks which it manages. If that energizes you to step out of your home and take your own journey to any of the parks, then my mission was accomplished. You do not have to hike down Bright Angel Trial to Phantom Ranch in Grand Canyon NP (then back up those 4,500 feet) to experience that wonderful park. And you do not have to climb Long’s Peak in Rocky Mountain NP (one of Colorado’s 14ers… meaning the summit is above 14,000 feet) with so many other less strenuous opportunities to enjoy in that gem of a park. Start planning an adventure, then execute. Have a great holiday season and be safe in all that you do.
Tom