The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-23
Abe Linc0ln's Cabin.

Lincoln's cabin is in Chicago and al
soon as suitable building can be erect
ed the home III which Abraham Lin.
coin passed his boyhood will be placed
therein, together with such relics of the
martyr president as can be procured, and
exhibited. 1t will be one of the perma-
nent attractions of Chicago.
Several months ago the existence OF
the cabin built by Abraham Lincoln and
his father became known to party OF
Chicago gentlemen, and they determined
to secure the interesting relict. In the
latter part of June Mrs. Cora Gridley was
sent to Coles county and visited the cab.
in, which was at the time occupied, and
had inr some years been the home of
John J Hall, relative of the late pres.
ident. The Halls were well-to-do, and
had become attached to the place, so long
their home, but they were prevailed upon
to part with it.
The cabin became the property of the
Abraham Lincoln association, COM
prising George M. Bogue, E. F. Getchell,
Willard F. Block, Jason 81. Shepard,
William B. Petit, F. R. Southmayd,
John Barton Payne, Norah Gridley, and
Nelson Steele. With the property q
deed to the land on which it stood and
the one halfacre garden of Grandma
Lincoln passed into the possession of the
association. The purchasers have secured
every link in the chain of title, from
the patent of the government of Thomas
Lincoln 10 the deed of conveyance to
the association. Among them is deed
in Abraham Lincoln's handwriting and
the only known document in existence
to which the joint signatures of Abraham
and Mary Lincoln are attached.
The cabin was built in 1881, and is
constructed by oak logs cut by Abraham
and his father in the river bottoms and
hauled to the spot where the cabin was
erected. 1t contained one room and
loft, and is 16 feet in length by 1S feet in
depth and 10 feet high. In 1885 an ad-
dition of some dimensions was built of
quskisg aspen with small storage room
of 4 feet in width between, making the
entire structure 36 feet in length.
Shortly after building the addition
young Abe left home, but he made it a
duty to visit his parents twice year,
walking to the homestead that he might
save the expense of livery bills. Then he
would walk six miles from the cabin to
the county seat and pay the interest of
money borrowed from the school funds
by his father to enter his land.
His last. visit to the old home was in
December, 1860, after his election to the
presidency. He cut a log, split it, and
carved his fathers name upon the two
boards, which he placed at the head and
foot of Thomas Lincoln's grave in the
Gordon cemetery. These humble mon
uments are gone, and the resting place
of the great presidents father is now
marked by handsome granite monu-
ment. II was on this occasion that his
stepno,her, to whom Abraham was de-
vn'edlv attached, said: They'll kill you
my b"y, and won'tsee you again." She
never did.
The gr"und on which the cabin stood
will be encircled by neat fence and the
spot memorislized by monument. The
association will endeavor to preserve the
garden, with it's wealth of sage and hol-
lyhocks, to remind mankind of the hum
BILE origin of great man.