The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-02-03
The Humble Home in Which Lincoln
First Saw the Light.

Twelve years ago, the cabin in which
Lincoln was born was torn down, and
the logs were hauled TO an adjoining
farm, and used in the construction of
another house. The old farm had
practically been abandoned, and near
ly all the people in the neighborhood
had quite forgotten, second time
within decade since the death of
Lincoln, that he was born on the
''Lincoln Spring Farm" as the place
has always been called. The Lincoln
birthplace is fifty-four miles southeast
of Louisville. Ii can be reached from
Louisville by going TO Elizabethtown,
in Hardin County, a distance of forty
two miles, and then taking another
road from Elizabethtown to Hodgens-
Vile, u ride of twenty miles. The
Lincoln Spring Farm is three miles
from this quaint old town, on Nolin's
Creek, directly on the public road lead
ing from Hodgensville to Buffalo, n
village six miles to the east. 1t is a
pleasant twenty minutes drive over a
good dirt road, through poor, but in
teresting, country.
The original Lincoln cabin had been
torn down and the materials had been
moved away, AS stated, by man nam
ed Tom Davenport, who used the logs
in his own house.
Mr.. A. w. bennett, New York
gentleman, not long ago bought the
Davenport house, recovered the logs,
and, after much difficulty, restored the
cabin exactly as it was originally, US
ing the very same timbers, door, wind
ow, and frames. 1t occupies the for
mer site, and is in much the same con-
dition as it was when the LincOlns left
it. The cabin is eighteen feet long,
sixteen feet wide, and about twelve
feet high, counting from the floor u
the ridge-pole. There is only one door
and one window-the latter an open
ing twenty inches square. A large
open fireplace, built in the most primi-
tive way, occupies nearly the whole of
one end of the cabin. The chimney is
made of small logs, placed together
just as log houses are built. Inside of
it, flat stones placed on the ground
made the hearth, and wide flat stones
placed against the logs kept the fire
within bounds and protected the wood
en- chimney. The inside, from the
hearthstones to the top ofthe chimney,
was thickly daubed with clay. The
chimney reaches only halfway to the
roof of the house, and is rounded Off
with small sticks. This simple fire
place furnished most ofthe light, all Of
the heat, and the sole means for cook
ing the meals for the family. The cab
in did not have even loft, or second
story, as have most cabins. Ii was
built by Thomas Lincoln, father of the
President, some time about 1904 or iS05,
aud was entirely constructed with an
AK and saw, the simple tools Of the pi-
oneers. The elapboard roof was an
chored down by small logs, laid length
wise on the top of. the rows of oak
boards. There were no nails or hard
ware. The door-hinges were of wood,
and the paneless window had an in
side board-shutter, held in place by
thongs. There were chinks
and mud between logs, and the punch
con floor was pegged down. IL is prob
able that after Abraham LincOln's
grandfather was killed by the Indians
at Long Run Westinghouse, in Jeffer-
son County, KY, the family went fur
ther into the forest, and toak up a sec
ton of land in La Rie, then part of
County. Later, TO better his
fortune, Thomas Lincoln, left this
farm on Nolin's Creek, aud settled on
Knob Creek, dozen miles from HOd- |
nsville, and from there he went to
Indiana, and later to Illinois,-"The !
of President Lincoln" by |
George IL. Yenowine, in February st.
Nicholas.