Dear Friends of Lincoln 

Home National Historic Site,

As most of you know, we 

have been working on a 

General Management Plan 

(GMP) for Lincoln Home 

National Historic Site in 

Springfi eld, Illinois. Our 

goal is to develop a plan that 

will establish a clear vision 

and serve as a guide for the 

long term management of 

the home and neighborhood 

where Abraham Lincoln and 

his family lived for seventeen 

years. Your help is vital in this 

planning eff ort.

We received over 70 responses to our fi rst newsletter, which solicited the public’s thoughts on the issues facing Lincoln 

Home National Historic Site and their vision for the site’s future. Using the ideas, comments, and concerns that you 

expressed, combined with input from National Park Service staff and other federal, state, and local offi cials, as well as 

elected offi cials, we have developed preliminary alternatives for the future management and direction of Lincoln Home 

National Historic Site. Based on your response to the information in this newsletter, the planning team will move ahead 

with the development of the General Management Plan for the National Historic Site. Each of the four alternatives has 

a series of options. You may identify which alternative you prefer, select options from within any of the alternatives 

which you believe should be part of the park’s management strategy, or add to the list of options to be considered.

We look forward to your input. Please use the enclosed postage-paid response form to share your thoughts with us or you 

may respond by email at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Select Lincoln Home NHS from the drop down list and then 

select General Management Plan. Thank you in advance for your continued support and assistance in the development 

of the General Management Plan for Lincoln Home National Historic Site.

Sincerely,

James A. Sanders, 

Superintendent

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Illinois

Preliminary Alternatives Description

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior
2 • Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Contents

Superintendent’s Letter ....................................................................................................................................................1

The Planning Process to Date .......................................................................................................................................... 3

Lincoln Home National Historic Site Management Zones .............................................................................................4

Actions Common to all Alternatives ................................................................................................................................5

Historic District Zone - Appropriate Facilities Defi nitions .............................................................................................6

Alternative One: Continuation of Existing Conditions .................................................................................................6

Alternative One Map ....................................................................................................................................................... 7

Alternative Two Map ....................................................................................................................................................... 8

Alternative Two: A Step Back in Time – The Historic Lincoln-Era Scene .......................................................................9

Alternative Three: A Retreat From Modern Life in the Heart of the City ..................................................................10

Alternative Three Map ....................................................................................................................................................11

Alternative Four: Optimize Park Operational Effi ciency ..............................................................................................13

Alternative Four Map ..................................................................................................................................................... 14

Alternative Considered But Eliminated From Further Consideration ..........................................................................15

Next Steps ........................................................................................................................................................................15

Public Meetings ...............................................................................................................................................................15

Planning Schedule .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
 Newsletter 2 • November 2006 • 3

To begin the general management planning 

process, the National Park Service (NPS) 

planning team, including park staff , 

confi rmed the purpose and signifi cance 

of Lincoln Home National Historic 

Site (NHS). Working with partners 

in city, county, and state agencies, the 

team identifi ed current issues facing the 

site. Through our fi rst public scoping 

newsletter, we solicited input from 

members of the public on their vision 

for the future of Lincoln Home NHS, 

concerns about issues facing the site, and 

the opportunities they would like to see 

explored in the General Management Plan 

(GMP). 

Using this information, the team 

worked with our city, county, state, 

and Congressional partners to develop 

preliminary alternative concepts, 

management zones, and management 

alternatives for the future management of 

Lincoln Home NHS. These management 

zones and management alternatives are the 

building blocks for developing an approved 

general management plan for Lincoln 

Home NHS.

Management zones prescribe desired 

conditions for Lincoln Home NHS’s 

resources and visitor experiences in 

diff erent areas of the site. The management 

zones identify the widest range of potential 

resource conditions, visitor experiences, 

and appropriate facilities consistent with 

the national historic site’s purpose and 

signifi cance. Three management zones 

have been developed for the future 

management of Lincoln Home NHS (see 

p. 4).

The preliminary management alternatives 

presented in this newsletter describe the 

diff erent ways in which the management 

zones would be applied at Lincoln 

Home NHS. Each of the alternatives has 

an overall management concept and a 

description of how diff erent areas would 

be managed to achieve desired resource 

conditions, visitor experiences, and 

appropriate facility development.

The Allen Barn dates to the 1850s, and 

was owned by Solomon Allen. Allen 

lived on this property with his wife and 

daughter and listed his occupation as a 

“gunsmith.” The Allen house no longer 

exists, but the surviving barn is one of 

the oldest outbuildings in Springfield.

THE PLANNING PROCESS TO DATE

The exhibit “What A Pleasant 

Home Abe Lincoln Has” located 

inside the Dean House. 
4 • Lincoln Home National Historic Site

VISITOR SERVICES/ADMINISTRATION

ZONE (MAP COLOR: BLUE)

DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITIONS: There 

would be no historic resources in this zone. 

Modern facilities complement the desired 

resource condition in adjacent zones; they 

do not distract from the historic setting. 

DESIRED VISITOR EXPERIENCE: Visitor 

orientation, information, interpretation, 

and education services would be provided 

in this area. Park support and leased 

facilities may not be accessible to visitors 

and use would be by staff , partners, lessees, 

and/or visitors that does not infringe upon 

the historic neighborhood feeling.

APPROPRIATE FACILITIES: These would 

include accessible visitor service facilities 

such as parking areas, visitor center, 

interpretive displays/exhibits, restrooms, 

concessions, cooperating association sales 

and park operations facilities (offi ces, 

meeting spaces, curatorial storage, 

maintenance shops, etc.), which meet 

visitor requirements.

HISTORIC DISTRICT ZONE

(MAP COLOR: YELLOW) 

This zone contains the National Register 

Historic District.

DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITIONS: Historic 

structures are maintained in accordance 

with the Secretary of the Interior’s 

Standards for Treatment of Historic 

Properties. Grounds and yards are 

designed and maintained to refl ect the 

Lincoln-era historic scene. All building 

interiors, except the Lincoln Home, are 

adaptively used with modern interiors as 

park/leased offi ces; park meeting space, 

storage, maintenance shops, bed and 

breakfast or other concessions; interpretive 

displays/exhibits; or public restrooms.

DESIRED VISITOR EXPERIENCE: Visitors 

would learn about Abraham Lincoln, the 

Lincoln Home, and the historic Lincolnera neighborhood. Visitors have access 

to roam throughout this zone, except the 

Lincoln Home, which is seen on a park 

ranger guided tour. Access to interiors 

of buildings and to grounds could be 

restricted. Where visitors have access to 

the interior of buildings, accessibility for 

disabled will be accommodated when 

historic integrity can be retained. Visitor 

numbers are controlled as necessary to 

protect resources and enhance visitor 

experience.

APPROPRIATE FACILITIES: This area would 

include existing historic buildings and 

new structures that are compatible in 

scale, design and location to buildings that 

would have been present in the Lincoln 

era. Exhibits such as small-scale landscape 

features appropriate to depict the historic 

Lincoln-era scene (fences, gates, barns, 

wash houses, privies, wells/cisterns, 

gardens, trees, shrubs, boardwalks, streets, 

curbing, and lighting), representations of 

missing historic buildings (e.g., full-scale 

structural exhibits, “ghosted” structures or 

building foundation outlines – see pages 6 

and 10), and interpretive wayside displays/

exhibits, would also be appropriate to 

represent historic land use and to identify 

property owners.

OPEN SPACE/RECREATION ZONE

(MAP COLOR: GREEN)

DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITIONS: Open, 

park-like setting with trees, shrubs, and 

lawns.

DESIRED VISITOR EXPERIENCE: Would 

include self-directed recreational activities 

such as picnicking, self-guided trail 

walks, contemplation, and attendance 

and participation in staged events and 

educational activities such as reading 

interpretive displays/exhibits and attending 

park ranger programs.

APPROPRIATE FACILITIES: Picnic tables 

and shelters, restrooms, walking trails, 

interpretive wayside displays/exhibits, and 

temporary structures for staged events.

LINCOLN HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE MANAGEMENT ZONES

Nameplate – Since Springfield 

homes were not numbered until 

1873, the Lincolns, like many of their 

Springfield neighbors, used a front 

door nameplate to identify their home 

to visitors. 
 Newsletter 2 • November 2006 • 5

• The four existing historic buildings 

(Morse, Miller, Stuve and Stuve Carriage 

Houses) would be restored to their historic 

exterior appearance and adaptively used 

on the inside as administrative offi ces, 

leased space, or concession operations.

• Develop a cultural landscape plan for 

the entire park (with a focus on individual 

lots).

• Develop wayside path fi nding aids 

between Lincoln Home NHS and 

Springfi eld’s downtown Lincoln-related 

sites and area attractions.

• Interpretive services would include use 

of international language translations in 

audio devices for exploring the park, park 

publications, and the park’s web site. If 

available, bilingual interpreters would be 

hired to improve communications with 

international visitors.

• Develop an information connection at 

the Lincoln Home NHS to other Lincolnrelated sites outside of Springfi eld in 

central Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky.

• Identify Lincoln Home NHS as a unit 

of the National Park Service on major 

highway signs, path-fi nding signage, and in 

collaboration with the new visitor center 

in the restored Union Station railroad 

depot located west of the Abraham Lincoln 

Presidential Museum.

• Become proactive in developing 

educational programs with schools in 

Illinois and nationwide through the use 

of onsite education programs, teaching 

outlines, videos, DVDs, training aids, 

and on-line media produced by Lincoln 

Home NHS and through partnerships with 

academic institutions. 

• Provide access to facilities, as well as, 

interpretive media to accommodate the 

needs of special populations. Interpretive 

media includes audiovisual programs, 

displays/exhibits, historic furnishings, 

publications, and wayside exhibits. 

Special populations are identifi ed as 

those with sight, hearing, learning, and 

mobility disabilities; visitors who do not 

speak English; and the elderly and young 

children.

• Investigate options to partner with local 

agencies and historic sites, to promote 

the Lincoln story and specifi c related 

projects directed at enhancing the visitor’s 

experience in the community.

• The National Park Service and 

Lincoln Home NHS would continue the 

partnership with Eastern National, a not 

for profi t cooperating association that 

provides educational material through its 

museum shop in the visitor center.

ACTIONS COMMON TO ALL ACTION ALTERNATIVES

Beedle House - In 1860, William H. 

Beedle and his servant, Kate Tierney, 

were living at this address. Beedle 

was a railroad fireman, and he told 

the enumerator that he owned no real 

estate. He undoubtedly rented the house. 

Miller House - In 1860, Allen Miller, 

a prosperous leather dealer, his wife, 

and their three children lived in the 

house. Also living at the address 

were James and Miranda Keys, and 

Josephine Miers. (The house has not 

yet been restored.)
6 • Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Looking south on Eighth Street 

DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITION

The existing Lincoln-era neighborhood 

would be maintained as it is today. When 

funding becomes available, the park would 

restore the following existing historic 

buildings: Morse; Miller; Stuve; and Stuve 

Carriage Houses; and Lincoln Home 

outbuildings. Vacant lots would remain 

vacant.

 DESIRED VISITOR EXPERIENCE

The focus would be on ranger-led Lincoln 

Home tours. The visitor experience would 

also include viewing the park movie and 

exploring displays/exhibits in the visitor 

center, Arnold House, Dean House, and the 

outdoor neighborhood exhibits. 

APPROPRIATE FACILITIES AND

DEVELOPMENT: 

Administrative offi ces, including 

administration, maintenance, interpretation, 

museum curatorial, and law enforcement 

would remain where they are, in adaptively 

used historic homes and outbuildings. 

The three existing leased buildings would 

continue being leased under the historic 

leasing program. Buses would continue to 

drop-off , pick up, and park in the current 

visitor center bus-parking lot.

ALTERNATIVE 1: CONTINUATION OF

EXISTING CONDITIONS

HISTORIC DISTRICT ZONEAPPROPRIATE FACILITIES

DEFINITIONS:

FULL-SCALE STRUCTURAL EXHIBITS 

This would be used when adequate 

historical documentation does not exist 

to reconstruct the historic building 

according to National Park Service 

policy. The construction of a full scale 

exhibit would use conjecture where 

historical evidence is not available. The 

resulting building would be interpreted 

to the visitor as an “exhibit” rather than 

an “authentic reconstruction”. It would 

convey a sense of size (length, width, 

and height), mass, texture, and location 

in a historic scene.

GHOSTED STRUCTURES

This kind of structure is a method of 

showing representations of missing 

historic buildings and can convey a sense 

of size (length, width, and height) and 

location in a historic scene. It would 

take the form of a three dimensional 

frame outline of the building with no 

building features. (See pg. 10)

BUILDING FOUNDATION OUTLINES

This is another method to show 

representations of missing historic 

buildings. In this case, the outline of 

a building foundation is shown in the 

ground with no other detail or structure 

above it. It can convey a sense of size 

(length and width) and location in a 

historic scene. (See pg. 10) 

The park would continue the current management direction, which follows 

the concept outlined in the 1970 Master Plan.

Looking south on Eighth Street 
 Newsletter 2 • November 2006 • 7

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8 • Lincoln Home National Historic Site

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 Newsletter 2 • November 2006 • 9

DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITION

Missing elements of the 1860s 

neighborhood would be represented 

with full scale structural exhibits at the 

core of the site in order to give visitors 

an appreciation of the neighborhood as 

Abraham Lincoln and his family may have 

experienced it. Based upon available 

historical data, the park may construct 

full-scale structural exhibits on the 

Burch, Brown, Carrigan, and Irwin lots 

to represent what the homes on these 

lots may have looked like during the 

1860s. Interiors of the above houses plus 

the Arnold, Sprigg, Corneau, and Dean 

Houses would be adaptively used for 

park administrative functions or as public 

interpretive exhibit space. Other small 

scale features of the historic scene, such as 

barns, privies, fences, wells/cisterns, and 

gardens, would be developed as exhibits to 

enhance visitor understanding of the scale 

and density of the Lincoln neighborhood 

in 1860 and to screen the historic 

neighborhood scene from modern visual 

and audible intrusions.

The existing historic buildings in the 

remainder of the historic district (outside 

of the core) would be restored to preserve 

the essential character of the Lincoln-era 

neighborhood’s historical and architectural 

values, while allowing for compatible 

uses of these extant (existing) structures. 

Interiors of structures would be adaptively 

used for park administrative functions or 

as leased space under the historic leasing 

program. Representations of missing 

houses would be identifi ed by building 

foundation outlines, which could be 

built to provide visitors with some sense 

of the scale of the historic Lincoln-era 

neighborhood. Limited traffi c and parking 

in the alleys outside of the core would be 

permitted. Small-scale elements such as 

outbuildings could be constructed. 

DESIRED VISITOR EXPERIENCE

Visitors would experience a sense of 

removal from the modern world upon 

entering the Historic District Zone. The 

buildings would serve as a buff er against 

modern visual and auditory intrusions. 

An innovative, large scale living history 

program would enhance the visitors’ 

impression that they had traveled in time 

to the historic period of the Lincolnera neighborhood. Curriculum-based 

educational programming, including multiday programs, would help students gain a 

better understanding of the day to day lives 

of the Lincoln family and their neighbors. 

Interpretive information would be 

developed for each neighborhood property 

to enhance visitor understanding of the 

Lincoln’s social neighborhood setting. 

APPROPRIATE FACILITIES AND

DEVELOPMENT

The neighborhood display model in the 

visitor center would be moved to the 

interior of the full-scale structural exhibit 

of the Burch House to provide additional 

space for the Eastern National museum 

store to expand into the lobby of the visitor 

center. The park visitor center would not 

be expanded. The full-scale structural 

exhibit of the Burch House would serve as 

an orientation point for visitors entering 

the historic neighborhood. The Carrigan 

Barn would also provide additional 

visitor restroom facilities with drinking 

water. Maintenance operations would be 

consolidated and moved to a new building 

ALTERNATIVE 2: A STEP BACK IN TIME – THE HISTORIC LINCOLN-ERA SCENE

Dean House on Eighth Street

Under this alternative, park management would focus on interpretation of the core of the historic Lincoln-era 

neighborhood through the construction of full-scale structural exhibits. This core includes the following residential 

lots: Lincoln, Carrigan, Burch, Brown, Corneau, Sprigg, Irwin, and Arnold. The historic landscape would be 

recreated as completely as possible.
10 • Lincoln Home National Historic Site

ALTERNATIVE 3: A RETREAT FROM MODERN

LIFE IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITION

Only fences, outbuildings and other smallscale landscape features consistent with the 

treatment recommendations of the cultural 

landscape report would be constructed. 

Representations of missing houses would 

be identifi ed by alternative methods such 

as ghosted structures and/or building 

foundation outlines, which could be built 

to provide visitors with some sense of the 

scale and density of the historic Lincolnera neighborhood. New structures could 

be built to resemble barns that existed 

during the historic period. These new 

structures would be constructed of 

materials compatible with the fabric of the 

historic structures in the Historic District 

Zone. These elements would serve to 

buff er the historic district from outside 

An example of a “ghost structure”; Independence National Historical 

Park’s Franklin Court contains a steel “ghost structure” outlining the spot 

where Benjamin Franklin’s house once stood.

An example of a “ghost structure”; Independence National Historical

Under this alternative, visitors would be provided with an appreciation 

for how diff erent Lincoln’s life in his neighborhood was from modern 

urban living. The existing historic houses and outbuildings would remain 

as the only large-scale buildings in the historic district, but missing houses 

in the neighborhood would be represented by ghosted structures and/or 

foundation outlines and smaller structures that together create a park 

environment distinct from the modern city outside the park.

Foundation example taken from Fort 

Frederica National Monument

Foundation example taken from Fort 

in the south portion of the Open Space/

Recreation Zone located along the eastern 

side of the park. The Stuve House and Stuve 

Carriage House would be restored for use as 

a park administrative facility, which would 

enable park management to lease space in 

up to eight historic houses, some of which 

are currently used for park offi ces. The 

construction of barns that were located in 

the neighborhood along the alleys during 

the historic period would provide concealed 

parking spaces for lessee vehicles. Other 

outbuildings would add to the historic feel 

of the neighborhood. Curatorial items 

stored on site would be consolidated and 

moved to a new building in the south 

portion of the open space area located 

along the eastern side of the park, to free up 

space in this core area for visitor facilities 

and interpretive exhibits. The bus drop-off 

would be at the visitor center and pickup 

would be in the Open Space/Recreation 

Zone located along the eastern side of the 

park. Bus parking would be relocated to 

a new facility shared with city, county, and 

state partners. The bus parking lot would 

be set aside for RV/trailer parking.

(Alternative 2 continued)
 Newsletter 2 • November 2006 • 11

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12 • Lincoln Home National Historic Site

(Alternative 3 continued) 

modern visual and audible intrusions. 

Other elements of the historic scene would 

be rehabilitated to give some sense of 

the historic neighborhood but not to as 

great a degree as in Alternative 2. Limited 

traffi c and parking in the alleys would 

be permitted. The park would restore 

the Stuve House to house consolidated 

administrative functions (freeing up to 

seven currently occupied historic buildings 

to the existing historic leasing program). 

Other than small-scale landscape features 

and representations of houses, there would 

be no development of new facilities in the 

Historic District Zone, neither modern nor 

full-scale structural exhibits. 

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

There would be a scaled down living 

history program and greater emphasis on 

ranger-led tours than in Alternative 2, but 

visitors could also experience the site as 

individuals to draw their own conclusions 

about Lincoln’s life in Springfi eld. 

Self-guided tours using neighborhood 

interpretive wayside exhibits, cell-phones, 

iPods, etc. would be available. Curriculumbased educational programming would 

include day-long history programs. Empty 

lots without ghost structures or building 

foundation outlines would provide space 

for festivals and outdoor events. The 

Corneau house would provide more 

interpretive exhibit space. 

APPROPRIATE FACILITIES AND

DEVELOPMENT: 

The visitor center would be expanded to 

provide space for the ranger offi ce, when 

Eastern National’s operations expand into 

the existing ranger offi ce. Maintenance 

and curatorial operations would be 

consolidated and moved off -site to leased 

facilities located south of the Open Space/

Recreation Zone on the eastern side of the 

park, on land adjacent to the park. The 

leased space would also provide adequate 

parking for park employees and volunteers. 

Other administrative offi ces would be 

consolidated and moved to the restored 

Stuve House. Curatorial items stored on 

site would be moved to the new off -site 

curatorial facility to free up space for visitor 

facilities and interpretive displays/exhibits. 

The bus drop-off would be at the Visitor 

Center and pickup would be in a new area 

on Edwards Street near the Stuve House 

and bus parking would be relocated to a 

new off -site facility shared with city, county, 

and state partners. The bus parking lot 

would be dedicated to RV/trailer parking. 

Additional restrooms with drinking water 

would be placed in the restored Stuve 

Carriage House.

Autumn on Eighth Street
 Newsletter 2 • November 2006 • 13

DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITIONS

As in Alternative 3, the existing historic 

houses and outbuildings would remain 

as the only large-scale buildings in the 

historic district, but smaller structures (e.g., 

outbuildings and fences) consistent with 

the cultural landscape report would be 

built throughout the historic district. While 

together these would heighten the feeling 

of a park environment distinct from the 

modern city outside the park’s boundary, 

this feeling would not be as complete as in 

Alternative 3 because ghosted structures 

and/or building foundation outlines would 

not be built. The NPS would restore the 

exterior and rehabilitate the interior of 

the Stuve House for leasing. Most park 

operations and staff would be consolidated 

and moved to a new facility located within 

the park’s new southeast boundary. 

Historic houses no longer needed for 

park operations would be added to the 

existing historic leasing program. New 

structures would be built to resemble 

barns that existed during the historic 

period. These new structures would be 

constructed of materials compatible with 

the fabric of the historic buildings in the 

Historic District Zone and would provide 

concealed parking spaces for lessees and 

serve to buff er the Historic District Zone 

from outside modern visual and auditory 

intrusions. Limited traffi c and lessee 

parking in the alleys would be permitted. 

The Open Space/Recreation Zone located 

on the eastern side of the park would be 

re-landscaped to minimize maintenance 

and security issues. 

DESIRED VISITOR EXPERIENCE

As in Alternative 3, there would be a 

greater emphasis on ranger-led tours than 

in Alternative 2, but visitors could also 

experience the site as individuals and draw 

their own conclusions about Lincoln’s 

life in Springfi eld. Self-guided tours 

using neighborhood interpretive wayside 

exhibits, cell-phones, iPods, etc. would 

be available. Empty lots would provide 

space for festivals and outdoor events. 

The Corneau house would provide more 

exhibit space.

APPROPRIATE FACILITIES AND

DEVELOPMENT

Most park operations would be 

consolidated in the new facility, within the 

expanded park boundaries, which would 

also provide adequate parking for park 

employees and volunteers. An expanded 

historic leasing program would include 

historic houses no longer needed for park 

operations, as well as the restored Miller 

House, Morse House, Stuve House, and 

Stuve Carriage House. Barns would be 

constructed along the alleys as a buff er and 

for lessee parking spaces. The visitor center 

would be expanded to provide space for 

the ranger offi ce, when Eastern National’s 

operations expand into the 

existing ranger offi ce. The 

bus drop-off and pickup 

would be at the visitor 

center and bus parking 

would be relocated to a 

new off -site facility shared 

with city, county, and state 

partners. The bus parking 

lot would be set aside 

for RV/trailer parking. 

Additional restrooms with 

drinking water would be placed either 

in the Arnold Barn or in a new building 

constructed in the Open Space/Recreation 

Zone located in the eastern side of the 

park near the Jackson Street and alley 

ALTERNATIVE 4: OPTIMIZE PARK OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

Under this alternative, park management would focus on its core mission and on maximizing effi ciency in park operations. 

Park boundaries would be expanded south of the Open Space/Recreation Zone located on the eastern side of the park in 

an area bounded by Cook Street on the south, Edwards Street on the north, Ninth Street on the east, and the alley between 

Ninth St. and Eighth St. on the west, to provide space for modern facilities. This would maximize revenue realized through 

the park leasing program. The consolidation of most park administrative, maintenance, law enforcement, and curatorial 

operations in one site would result in increased park operational effi ciency. 

Lincoln Home - The Lincoln’s 

expanded their house by adding 

a full second floor by 1856. 
14 • Lincoln Home National Historic Site

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 Newsletter 2 • November 2006 • 15

ALTERNATIVE CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION:

IMMERSION INTO 1860 – LINCOLN’S NEIGHBORHOOD AS HE KNEW IT

DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITION

Under this alternative, missing elements 

of the 1860s neighborhood would 

be recreated through large-scale 

reconstruction throughout the Historic 

District Zone. The interior of these 

reconstructed buildings would be 

adaptively used, but the exterior would be 

restored to represent the historic period 

of the Lincoln-era neighborhood. The 

cultural landscape would be restored to 

1860. The Stuve House would be restored 

on the exterior and adaptively used 

on the interior, but rather than taking 

responsibility for this directly, the NPS 

would seek out a private lessee for the 

house with strict exterior preservation 

requirements, to renovate the building 

for their use with a long term lease, so the 

lessee could recoup their investment in the 

building’s rehabilitation. New curatorial 

space would be consolidated and leased on 

land adjacent to the park and maintenance 

operations would be consolidated and 

moved to a new building in the south 

portion of the Open Space/Recreation 

Zone. Development of modern (not 

reconstructed) facilities would be limited 

to: the new maintenance facility, a new 

bus pick-up space, and new restrooms in 

an area along Ninth Street. The Eastern 

National museum shop would be moved to 

a new location in one of the reconstructed 

buildings.

DESIRED VISITOR EXPERIENCE

 Reconstructed buildings would serve as a 

buffer against modern visual and auditory 

intrusions. Visitors would experience a 

comprehensive, large-scale living history 

program. Curriculum-based educational 

programming would include multi-day 

history camps. Some of the reconstructed 

buildings would house interpretive 

displays, a new museum shop, and a new 

staging area for tours of the Lincoln Home. 

The current visitor center would not be 

expanded, but interior space for exhibits 

would increase by the amount currently 

occupied by the museum shop. 

APPROPRIATE FACILITIES AND

DEVELOPMENT

Maintenance would be consolidated and 

moved to the southeast corner of the Open 

Space/Recreation Zone and space for 

curatorial operations would be leased on a 

site south of the new maintenance building 

and adjacent to the park boundary. Other 

administrative offices would remain where 

they are, in adaptively used historic houses. 

Buses would use the visitor center parking 

lot as a drop-off point, park off-site, and 

a new pickup site located in the Open 

Space/Recreation Zone. The current bus 

parking lot would be set aside for RV/trailer 

parking. 

THE NEXT STEPS

During the draft preliminary alternatives 

review period, three public meetings will 

be held at the park to provide the public 

with additional opportunities to have 

questions answered and to comment 

on the preliminary alternatives and the 

planning process. If you would like to 

have your questions answered before the 

public meetings occur, please contact Tom 

Thomas, Project Manager, at the address 

listed on the back page of this newsletter. 

After we have collected and analyzed all 

the comments, the planning team and park 

staff will select a preferred alternative and 

begin preparation of the complete General 

Management Plan/Environmental Impact 

Statement for Lincoln Home National 

Historic Site. 

This alternative was eliminated from further consideration due to: the lack of documentation 

to guide accurate reconstruction consistent with National Park Service and Department of the 

Interior cultural resource policies; the excessive costs associated with a reconstruction program 

of this scale; and the potential adverse impacts on Eastern National operations in the park. 

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Public input is important to the 

planning processs. The planning 

team has scheduled three public 

open houses. Park staff will be 

available to discuss the planning 

process, answer your questions 

and listen to your suggestions. 

We hope to see you at one of the 

meetings listed below. 

Wednesday – November 29, 2006

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM and

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Thursday – Thursday 30, 2006

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

All meetings will be held at:

Lincoln Home NHS 

Visitor Center

426 South Seventh Street

Springfield, Illinois 62701-1905
FIRST-CLASS MAIL

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

PERMIT NO. G-83

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

DENVER SERVICE CENTER – TOM THOMAS, DSC-P

12795 WEST ALAMEDA PARKWAY

P.O. BOX 25287

DENVER, CO. 80225-0287

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Preliminary Alternatives Newsletter

Planning Schedule

Planning Activity Dates Public Involvement Opportunities

1 Set the stage for planning 

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 (we are here):

Identify a range of reasonable alternatives for the 

park’s future.

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:

Assess their effects, analyze public reactions, and select a 

preferred alternative. 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.