Evening star., 1897-03-27
CABIN IN WHICH LINCOLN WAS BORN
1t Was Torn Down and Then Again
Rebuilt.

II was AOFH DoNn anu 1nen again
Rebuilt.
George II. Yenovvine in st. Nicholas.
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 nearly all the people in the
neighborhood had quite forgotten. second
time within B. 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 ffty-four
miles southeast Of Louisville. 1t can be
reached from louisville by going to Eliza
bethtown in Hardin county, a distance of
fCrty-two miles. and then taking another
road from Elizabethtown to Hodgensville.
a ride of twelve miles. The Lincoln Spring
farm is three miles from this quaint old
town. on Nolins creek. directly on the pub
lie road leading from Hodgensville to BuIS
faio. village six miles to the east. 1t is
a pleasant twenty minutes drive over a
good dirt road, through a poor, but inter-
eStng country.
The original Lincoln cabin had been torn
down. and the materials had been moved
away. as stated, by a man named Tom
Davenport, who used the logs in his own
| rouse.
! A. w bennett a New York gentleman.
! not long ago bought the Davenport house,
iSSo'eiSu thC io5S, dlii, HuCQ Ul1n-
| Guilty, restored the cabin exactly as it was
| originally. using the very same timbers
| door, window and frames. 1t occupies the
| former site. and is in much the same con-
dItlon as 1t was when the LncufnS left it,
| The cabin Is eighteen feet long, six,a IN feet
| wide and about twelve feet high, counting
| from the floor to the ridge pole. There is
| only one door and one windoW-the latter
| an opering twenty inches square 4 large
! open fireplace built in the most primitive
| 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, fiat stones
| placed on the ground made the hearth, and
| wide fiat stones placed against the logs
| kept the fire within bounds and protected
the wooden chimney. The inside. from the
| hearthstones to the top Of the chimney
| was thickly daubed with clay. The chin
| ney reaches only half way to the roof O.
the house. and is rounded off with small
sticks. This simple fireplace furnished
| most of the light, all of the heat, and the
| sole means for cooking the meals for the
family The cabin did not have even a loft
or second story. as have most cabins. II
| was built by Thomas Lincoln, father of the
President, some time about 1904 or 1905
and was entirely constructed with an az
and saw, the simple tools of the pioneers
The clapboard roof was anchored down by
| small logs. laid lengthwise on TOD of The
| or hardware. The door hinges were OF
| wood. and the paneless windows had an in.
| side board shutter, held in place by raw.
| hide thongs. There were chinks and mud
between the logs ana the puncheon floor
was pegged down. 1t Is probable hat af.
| ter Abraham -Lincoln's grandfather was
killed by the Indians at Long Run meeting
house. in Jefferson county, KY, the family
went further into the forest. and took Up 8
section of land in La Rue. then part OF
| Hardin county. Later, to better his for
tune, Thomas Lincoln left this farm or
| Nolin's creek, and settled on Knob creek, 8
| dozen miles from HOdgenSville an1 from
there he went to Indiana, and later to Hi
| nOis