Epic Guide to Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Illinois including things to do, history, how to reach the park, and more.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site is located is Springfield, Illinois. This site preserves four blocks of buildings, including the focal point - the home where Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, right before he became the 16th President of the United States.
Yes! The site offers a look at Abraham Lincoln's life before he became president. The guided tour of the house is fascinating and there are multiple other houses to visit.
Twelve years after the death of his mother, Lincoln's father, Thomas, moved the family from Indiana to Illinois near present day Decatur.
Illinois had been a state for only 12 years and was still a frontier wilderness. After only one year of frontier schooling and mainly educating himself, Lincoln left for Springfield.
This is where Lincoln began his successful career as a lawyer, met the love of this life, and had four children.
Lincoln arrived in Springfield in 1837, the year that the city became the state capital. The town's population was then 2,500 and was quickly becoming the focal point for law and government in the state, even though it was still surrounded by farms and livestock.
Two years after Abe arrived in the city, a woman from a prominent Kentucky family named Mary Todd moved to Springfield as well.
Lincoln met Mary at her sister's home in Springfield. The couple married in November of 1842. Before buying their first home together, the Lincolns lived in a boarding house called the Globe Tavern.
Lincoln had begun his political career serving in the Illinois House of Representatives for eight years. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1846.
It was at this time that Lincoln was considered one of the greatest courtroom attorneys in the state of Illinois.
Lincoln often had to travel which did not suit Mary well as she missed her husband dearly when he was away.
In 1844, Lincoln purchased the first and only home he ever owned. Purchased from Reverend Charles Dresser, the man who married Abe and Mary, the home cost $1,500.
Located at 413 South Eighth Street on the corner of Jackson, three boys were born to the Lincolns at this home. Edward, William, and Thomas were all born between 1846 and 1853.
Robert had been born in 1843, shortly after the couple was married. Sadly, little Edward Lincoln died of tuberculosis at the home just a few weeks short of his fourth birthday.
Throughout the years, the Lincolns made numerous improvements on the house, namely in 1856, when they turned the one and a half story cottage into a full two story home.
This home, that the Lincolns lived in for 17 years, shaped the family man and President that Lincoln was destined to become. Abe and Mary's bedroom, although private and out the way from visitors, was furnished to reflect a very prosperous family per the tastes of Mary.
By 1860, the boys' bedroom was shared by William and Thomas, as Robert was already away at school. The home's parlor was a most important and formal place and was the location for one of the most important events in Lincoln's life.
In 1860, the Republication Convention, held in Chicago, chose Lincoln as their presidential candidate.
In 1860, the Republication committee traveled to Springfield and gave this news to Abe and Mary while meeting in the parlor.
After Lincoln was elected, the family gave away most of their belongings as they prepared to move to Washington D.C.
The Lincolns rented the home to Lucian Tilton and his family. Tilton was the president of the Great Western Railroad.
By this time, Springfield had become a bustling capital city with a population of 10,000. In 1861, Lincoln delivered a farewell speech to the city of Springfield before leaving.
After Lincoln's assassination on April 15, 1865, the home was obtained by Lincoln's oldest son Robert.
On May 4, 1865, a large funeral procession passed by the home in Springfield on its way to Oak Ridge Cemetery where Lincoln, Mary, and three of his four sons are buried.
The family home became a common place for rallies, ceremonies and mourners to visit.
Mary was quoted as saying "I cannot bear to return to the scenes of the happiest times in my life without my family."
In 1887, Robert donated the home to the state of Illinois so that it would be better preserved for generations to come.
Other buildings preserved for visitors to experience is the Old State Capitol where Lincoln served as State Legislator, the building which served as the law office for Lincoln and his partner William Herndon, and the Lincoln Depot, which is the location from which Lincoln left Springfield for his 1861 inauguration. The site was established in August of 1971.
$0.00 - There is no entrance fee to visit the park.
Planning a National Park vacation? America the Beautiful/National Park Pass covers entrance fees for an entire year to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites.
The park pass covers everyone in the car for per vehicle sites and for up to 4 adults for per-person sites.
Buy on REI.com and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.
Free National Park Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the five free entrance days the National Park Service offers annually.
Central Time Zone
Pets must be on a leash less than 6 feet in length while in the park. Pets are not allowed in park buildings including the visitor center.
We had great cell service while visiting the park.
The Visitor Center is open 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Park Grounds are open from 6 am to 11 pm year-round.
There is free Wi-Fi service provided by the city of Springfield.
Insect repellent is always a great idea when outdoors, especially if you are around any body of water.
We use Permethrin Spray on our clothes before our park trips.
Make sure to bring your own water bottle and plenty of water with you. Plastic water bottles are not sold in the park.
$2.00 - There is a $2 per vehicle fee for using the parking lot for the day.
Debit and credit cards can be used to pay for parking. The park does not accept cash for parking.
There are no restaurants available within the park.
There are no gas stations within the park.
Drones are not permitted within National Park Sites.
National Park Passport stamps can be found in the visitor center.
Make sure to bring your National Park Passport Book with you or we like to pack these circle stickers so we don't have to bring our entire book with us.
Lincoln Home NHS is part of the 1987 Passport Stamp Set
There are 97 EV Charging stations within Springfield, Illinois.
At least 8 of these are free EV Charging Stations.
Size - 12.24 acres
Check out how the park compares to other National Parks by Size.
Date Established
August 18, 1971
Visitation
In 2021, Lincoln Home NHS had 89,964 park visitors.
In 2020, Lincoln Home NHS had 27,744 park visitors.
In 2019, Lincoln Home NHS had 197,816 park visitors.
Learn more about the most visited and least visited National Parks in the US
National Park Address
426 S. 7th Street
Springfield, IL 62701
Lincoln Home NHS is located in Springfield, Illinois.
Estimated distance from major cities nearby
Bloomington, IL - 66 miles
Peoria, IL - 73 miles
St. Louis, MO - 97 miles
Chicago, IL - 202 miles
Indianapolis, IN - 212 miles
Madison, WI - 265 miles
Louisville, KY - 323 miles
Milwaukee, WI - 278 miles
Fort Wayne, IN - 319 miles
Kansas City, MO - 311 miles
Nashville, TN - 375 miles
Memphis, TN - 380 miles
Estimated Distance from nearby National Park
Gateway Arch National Park - 96 miles
Indiana Dunes National Park - 221 miles
Cuyahoga Valley National Park - 509 miles
Mammoth Cave National Park - 352 miles
New River Gorge National Park - 602 miles
Where is the National Park Visitor Center?
426 South Seventh Street
Open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI)
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL)
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
Amtrak travels to Springfield, Il, and is within walking distance of the park. Approximately 7 blocks away.
The Greyhound Bus station is not within walking distance of the park.
Coming from the North on Interstate 55 (I-55)
Coming from the South on Interstate 55 (I-55)
Coming from the East on Interstate 72 (I-72)
Coming from the West on Interstate 72 (I-72)
Late spring to early fall are the perfect time to visit the park. The weather should be fantastic.
Springfield, Illinois experiences long warm summers and short snowy winters.
The hottest weather is from May 20th to September 23rd with an average daily temperature above 76 degrees.
The coldest weather in Springfield is from November 30th to February 28th with an average daily temperature below 46 degrees.
Snow occurs on average from November 19th to March 28th with the most snow falling in January.
In order to see the inside of the Lincoln Home you have to be on a park tour.
Tour tickets can be picked up at the front desk of the visitor center. Tickets are first-come, first-served.
Each tour is limited to 15 individuals.
The 1st tour is available at 9 am and the last tour starts at 4:30 pm.
The home tour highlights include:
There are two films at the visitor center including a film about Abraham Lincoln's life in Springfield.
The main park film is played on the hour and lasts between 20-25 minutes starting at 830 am with the final film playing at 4:30 pm.
The Junior Ranger program can be picked up at the visitor center. The information for the program can be found in the visitor center and on the guided tour.
The park includes a four-block historic neighborhood.
The neighborhood includes:
Always carry the 10 essentials for outdoor survival when exploring.
There are no hiking trails within the park but there are additional areas to explore outside of the Lincoln Home.
Make sure to bring water and plan to be outside in the sun.
The best way to beat the crowds is to make sure you are at the park early enough to get tickets for the guided tour.
There is a limited number of tickets available for each guided tour.
There are no National Park Lodges within the park.
There is lodging available in Springfield, Illinois.
There are no National Park Campgrounds within the park.
Nearby campgrounds include:
Sunnyside Acres RV Park - Kenney, IL
This campground offers Lodging, RV and Tent Sites
Yogi Bears Jellystone Park - Pittsfield, IL
This campground offer lodging, RV and Tent Sites, a beach, waterfront, waterpark, and more.
Camp Lakewood Campground - Effingham, IL
This campground offers lodging, RV and Tent Sites, A waterfront, fishing and more.
Check out more campgrounds in the area on CampSpot
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Pullman National Monument
Check out all of the Illinois National Parks along with National Parks in Wisconsin, National Parks in Iowa, National Parks in Indiana, Michigan National Parks, Kentucky National Parks, and National Parks in Missouri