Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Springfield, Illinois

Newsletter #1, October 2005

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Purpose and Significance

The national historic site's purpose and significance provide a foundation upon which all planning and management decisions are based. Below 

are purpose and significance statements for 

Lincoln Home National Historic Site.

Purpose

The purpose statements clarify the reasons 

Lincoln Home National Historic Site was set 

aside as a unit of the national park system and 

provide the foundation for management and use 

of the monument. These statements are based 

on Lincoln Home’s establishing legislation and 

National Park Service policies.

The purpose of Lincoln Home National Historic 

Site is to

• protect and preserve the Springfield home of 

Abraham Lincoln and the surrounding historic 

district as a meaningful setting for visitor 

understanding and appreciation

• interpret Abraham Lincoln and the significant 

impact his 17-year residency had on his emergence 

as a transcendent national and international figure 

for the benefit of present and future generations 

Significance and Fundamental 

Resources

Significance statements relate directly to the 

fundamental resources of the site and express 

the importance of the site to our national and 

cultural heritage. Fundamental resources such 

as the Lincoln Home are critical to achieving 

the park's purpose and maintaining its significance. These resources are the primary consideration in all park planning and decision making. 

Understanding the national historic site’s significance and fundamental resources will help managers make decisions that will preserve the values 

necessary to fulfill the site’s purpose. 

Lincoln Home National Historic Site is significant as a unit of the national park system for the 

following reasons:

• Abraham Lincoln and his family lived in this, 

the only house they ever owned, for the 17 years 

that were critical in his personal, professional, and 

political development.

• During these years Abraham Lincoln’s legal 

career evolved from a small town law practice to a 

high level of sophistication, developing a prosperous 

law practice, serving one term in the U.S. House 

of Representatives, running for the U.S. Senate, 

and becoming a major force in the new Republican 

party and its presidential nominee in 1860.

• The home was the setting for many significant 

events associated with Abraham Lincoln’s political 

career, including his preparation for the LincolnDouglas debates, his formal receiving of the 

Republican nomination for president, and the writing of at least part of his first inaugural address.

• In 1861 he left this house and Springfield, Illinois, 

to become the 16th president of the United States.

Primary Interpretive Themes

Primary interpretive themes are ideas and concepts about Abraham Lincoln and his Springfield 

home. These themes are based on the park’s purpose and significance and provide the foundation 

for all exhibits, brochures, films, ranger talks, 

and tours that are critical to understanding and 

appreciating the national historic site's importance. The following theme statements will provide the basis for interpretation at the park:

• Abraham Lincoln believed in the ideal that 

everyone in America should have the opportunity 

to improve his/her economic and social condition. 

Lincoln’s life was the embodiment of that ideal.

• Abraham Lincoln was a spouse, parent, and 

neighbor who experienced the same hopes, dreams, 

and challenges of life that are still experienced by 

many people.

• Many of Abraham Lincoln’s social and political 

beliefs concerning equality, freedom, and opportunity came into focus while he lived in Springfield. 

We as a nation strive to fulfill Lincoln’s legacy of 

national and individual ideals.

• People today – as they have since the time of 

Abraham Lincoln’s death – visit his home as a place 

to memorialize his life, seek meaning from his 

struggles and achievements, and find inspiration 

for their own lives.

Dear Friends,

Lincoln Home National Historic Site is beginning the development of a general management 

plan. Just as its name implies, this plan will provide a general framework to guide park management decisions over the next 15-20 years. This 

framework will be based in part on a vision of 

what people wish to see at Lincoln Home in the 

future. We need your help in describing that 

vision and developing the overall management 

philosophy that will enable us to achieve it. 

In developing the vision for the park’s future, it is 

important first to review the park’s purpose, its 

national significance, and the potential for public 

appreciation and enjoyment of the distinctive 

resources that Lincoln Home National Historic 

Site interprets and preserves. We will analyze the 

park’s fundamental resources that are critical to 

achieving the park’s purpose and maintaining its 

significance. Later steps in the planning process 

will describe specific desirable resource conditions and visitor goals for the site’s future and 

will design alternate management strategies for 

achieving these goals. As part of our consultation process, we will meet with federal, state, 

and local government agencies and officials. We 

will also hold meetings and workshops to hear 

the ideas and concerns of the general public. 

Communication and cooperation with other 

government agencies, the local community, and 

the public will identify common interests and 

goals for the protection and preservation of this 

important national resource. 

With your help, we can develop a plan that charts 

a sustainable future for Lincoln Home National 

Historic Site. Please share with us your thoughts, 

ideas, and vision for this historic resource.We 

will keep you informed throughout the planning 

process with periodic newsletters. 

James A. Sanders

Superintendent

Lincoln Home National Historic Site
You can begin providing feedback by completing the enclosed 

comment form. Please let us know your thoughts and concerns 

regarding the issues and opportunities that should be addressed in the 

general management plan. Also please let us know if you would like to 

be included on the national historic site’s mailing list. After you have 

finished filling out the postage-paid form, just fold and tape it and drop 

it in a mailbox.

You can also submit your comments electronically online at 

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectld=13436.

All newsletters will be posted on the website, along with a response 

form if you prefer to participate electronically.

You can also contact us with questions or comments any time at: 

Lincoln Home National Historic Site; 413 South Eighth Street; 

Springfield, IL. 62701-1905; 217-492-4241 x221.

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Schedule

Planning Activity Dates Public Involvement 

Opportunities

1 Set the stage for planning 

(we are at this stage):

Reaffirm purpose and significance; 

determine issues and concerns

Fall 2005 

to Winter 

2005 

The public is invited to attend 

meetings and offer ideas using 

the options described in the 

box to the right

2 Develop Preliminary Alternatives: 

Identify a range of reasonable alternatives 

for the park’s future, assess their effects, 

analyze public reactions, and select a 

preferred alternative

Winter 

2005 to 

Fall 2006

Provide comments on the 

initial alternatives by using a 

response form. Attend public 

meetings and provide 

comments

3 Prepare and publish Draft General 

Management Plan / Environmental 

Impact Statement:

Prepare draft describing the management 

alternatives and impacts; distribute to 

the public

Fall 2006 

to Fall 2007

Provide written comments on 

the draft document. Attend 

public meetings and provide 

comments.

4 Revise and publish Final General 

Management Plan / Environmental 

Impact Statement:

Analyze comments, prepare responses to 

comments, revise draft document, distribute 

to the public

Fall 2007 to 

Fall 2008

5 Implement the approved plan:

Prepare and issue Record of Decision and 

implement plan as funding allows

Winter 

2009 and 

beyond

Stay involved throughout 

the implementation of the 

approved plan. Let the park 

know what you think.

How to be Involved

If you live in Springfield or the surrounding area, the planning team has 

scheduled two public open houses the week of November 7, 2005. We 

welcome your comments and suggestions and hope to see you at one of the 

meetings listed below.

Tuesday Lincoln Home NHS Visitor Center

November 8, 2005 426 South Seventh Street

7:00 PM Springfield, IL 62701-1905

Wednesday Lincoln Home NHS Visitor Center

November 9, 2005 426 South Seventh Street 

7:00 PM Springfield, IL 62701-1905

A Public Planning Effort

CAPITOL AVENUE

Beedle

House

JACKSON STREET

EDWARDS STREET

SEVENTH STREET

EIGHTH STREET

Grace Evangelical

Lutheran Church

Bus Parking

Lincoln Home

Visitor Center

Visitor Parking

Shutt House

Dean

House

Cook

House

Lyon House

Corneau

House

Sprigg

House

Arnold

House

Robinson

House

Miller House

Dubois House

Stuve House

Lincoln

Home

Conference Center

NINTH STREET

Manor Closed House to 

Traffic

Closed 

to 

Traffic N

Carrigan Lot

Burch Lot