State park in Indiana, United States
Lincoln State Park
is a
state park
of
Indiana
,
United States
. It is located in
southern Indiana
in
Spencer County
approximately 35 miles (56 km) east of
Evansville
.
The park was established in 1932 and encompasses 1,747 acres (707 ha). There are 10 miles (16 km) of trails in the park. Many of the recreational facilities found within the park were constructed by the
Civilian Conservation Corps
during the
Great Depression
. In addition to the Sarah Lincoln Woods Nature Preserve, there are two lakes, campgrounds, group cottages, and cabins.
[2]
The park provides access to many sites important to
Abraham Lincoln
during his childhood, including the Little Pigeon Creek Baptist Church and Cemetery, where his sister
Sarah Lincoln Grigsby
is buried; and the home of Colonel Jones a Civil War officer and merchant who employed Lincoln. Memorials were established to recognize Lincoln's mother
Nancy Hanks Lincoln
, whose gravesite is now contained within the adjacent
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
. There is also an interpretive center.
[2]
The park receives about 235,000 visitors annually.
[1]
The park is 1 of 14 Indiana State Parks that were in the path of totality for the
April 8, 2024 solar eclipse
, with 2 minutes and 5 seconds of totality.
[3]
Little Pigeon Baptist Church
[
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]
Noah Gordon donated the land, about a mile and a half from the
Lincoln farm
, for a church in 1820.
[4]
In 1821, Abraham Lincoln's father,
Thomas Lincoln
, was asked to oversee the construction of the Little Pigeon Baptist Church. Abraham, at age twelve, helped his father build the church. Thomas also constructed the cabinets and pulpit inside the church.
[5]
The church, like other churches in the West, would not likely have had a college-trained minister.
[6]
It was a
Primitive Baptist
or "Hard Shell Baptist" church.
[7]
Thomas joined the church with his second wife,
Sarah Bush Lincoln
, on June 7, 1823,
[5]
and five days later became a trustee.
[4]
The church membership was generally limited to married adults.
[6]
Thomas's daughter
Sarah
, for instance, was not made a member until 1826, shortly before her marriage.
[6]
[5]
The
Lincoln
and
Johnston
children stayed at home when their parents went to church.
[6]
Later, Abraham attended church.
[6]
In 1825, the church decided to build a cemetery alongside the church.
[4]
The church provided a means for a number of social gatherings for men and women.
[4]
It was called the Old Pigeon Church after several families, including the Grigsbys, split off from the church in 1840 and built a new Little Pigeon Baptist Church farther south. They split off from the old church due to differences of opinion about Sunday school and mission work.
[4]
The current structure is part of the state park and contains a cornerstone from the original church. Near the church is a small cemetery where the grave of Lincoln's sister,
Sarah Lincoln Grigsby
, is located.
[8]
A congregation no longer worships there.
The Noah Gordon Mill Site
[
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]
Also within the park are the Noah Gordon home and mill sites. Noah Gordon was a neighbor of the Lincoln family and maintained a small grain
mill
. Abraham Lincoln spent many hours waiting his turn to mill grain here. Nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln was knocked unconscious for several hours after he was kicked in the head by a horse milling grain at Gordon's mill.
[9]
The James Gentry Home Site
[
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]
Young Abraham Lincoln worked for James Gentry at his
general store
. The home site of James Gentry is located within Lincoln State Park off of trail 3. Abraham Lincoln took a flatboat trip to
New Orleans
, leaving from
Rockport
, to sell goods for Gentry. It was on this trip to New Orleans that Lincoln first witnessed
slavery
.
The Col. William Jones Home
[
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]
The park also includes the restored
Colonel William Jones House
near
Gentryville
. Col. Jones was a merchant, farmer, politician, and
Union
Colonel during the
American Civil War
. The home was built around 1834 and the farm contained a general store where Abraham Lincoln was also employed. Born in
Vincennes
in 1803, Jones settled in Spencer County in 1828. Jones and his wife, Rachel, raised five sons on this farm. The home is open for tours, including a restored log barn. The home is located 1/4 mile west of Gentryville on Boone Street.
Lincoln Amphitheatre
[
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]
Within Lincoln State Park is the Lincoln Amphitheatre, a modern covered outdoor
amphitheater
that was constructed in 1987 and began producing
Young Abe Lincoln
(written by
Billy Edd Wheeler
), that year. After being closed in 2005,
Lincoln: Upon The Altar of Freedom
premiered in June 2009 for the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. The play returned for a second year in June 2010 and introduced the new "Concert in the Park" which features cast members singing some of the most popular songs and hymns during Lincoln's life following each nightly performance. In 2011
Lincoln: Upon The Altar of Freedom
was rewritten into a musical renamed
A. Lincoln: A Pioneer Tale
. It recounts both Lincoln's childhood and major events in his presidency. It opened on June 8, 2012. It played its third season in 2014.
A Pioneer Tale
and The Lincoln Amphitheater went dark in 2015 for changes in management. In the 2016 season, The Indiana Department of Tourism operated the amphitheater.
A Pioneer Tale
would play its 4th season that same year with many concerts taking place during the 2016 season. In 2017, The Actor's Community Theater of Jasper remounted a 30th-anniversary production of
Young Abe Lincoln
as part of the 2017 season. It was performed again in 2018 as an "Encore" Production. In 2019,
Here I Grew Up
, a brand new Lincoln Drama premiered at the Lincoln Amphitheatre. The show had a book written by Jasmine Bosler, Kyle Rupert, Molly Rupert, Dean Dorrell, Heath Kluemper and Tyler Smith, with music written by Jason Kleiman.
Lincoln Interpretive Center
[
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]
Seasonal programs are offered at the Lincoln Interpretive Center, the park's
nature center
, which also features natural history exhibits.
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
a
b
"2018 / 2019 Estimated Fiscal Year Visits for Indiana State Parks ~ Alphabetical"
(PDF)
. Indiana Department of Natural Resources
. Retrieved
November 2,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Lincoln State Park"
.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
. Retrieved
February 21,
2020
.
- ^
R, Mike (July 14, 2021).
"Indiana 2024 Eclipse State Park Resources"
.
CosmosPNW
. Retrieved
October 3,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Bartelt, William E. (January 1, 2019).
There I Grew Up: Remembering Abraham Lincoln's Indiana Youth
. Indiana Historical Society.
ISBN
978-0-87195-443-5
.
- ^
a
b
c
White, Ronald C. (January 13, 2009).
A. Lincoln: A Biography
. Random House Publishing Group. pp.
35
.
ISBN
978-1-58836-775-4
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Miller, Richard Lawrence (2006).
Lincoln and His World
. Stackpole Books. p. 58.
ISBN
978-0-8117-0187-7
.
- ^
"Abraham Lincoln was reared in the faith of "Hard Shell" Baptists"
.
The Magazine of History
. Vol. 20, no. 1. W. Abbatt. 1922. p. 36.
- ^
Ammeson, Jane Simon (April 1, 2019).
Lincoln Road Trip: The Back-Roads Guide to America's Favorite President
. Indiana University Press. pp. PT115.
ISBN
978-1-68435-064-3
.
- ^
Miller, Richard Lawrence (2006).
Lincoln and His World
. Stackpole Books. p. 61.
ISBN
978-0-8117-0187-7
.
External links
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]