Historic Southern Indiana

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

The Lincoln Boyhood Trail

In and among the woodlands and trails of Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, one of America's greatest persons grew from childhood into early manhood. Here are the grave of his mother and the farm where he grew up--the site of the cabin in which he lived, the fields he helped clear and cultivate--indeed, as he himself said, "the very spot where grew the bread that formed my bones."

A walk from the Memorial Visitor Center to the Lincoln Living Historical Farm is an excellent way to experience the park and separate yourself from the modern world we live in and travel to the much simpler world of the pioneer. Your woodland walk into the past begins when you leave the Memorial Visitor Center.

Dogwood tree. Do you see the two trees on both sides of the Memorial Court? Notice their oppositely-arranged leaves. The veins of the leaves have a distinctly parallel pattern, don't they? Beautiful red berries adorn the dogwood in the fall. In the spring, dogwoods beautify the countryside with their white blossoms.

Flagpole. Lincoln Boyhood claims to have the tallest flagstaff in the National Park Service. It measure 120 feet above the ground (comparable to a 12-story building). Constructed of tapered steel sections, it weighs nine tons. The huge "garrison" flag, flown on holidays and other special occasions, measures 20 by 28 feet and weighs 45 pounds. The "everyday" flag measures 9 by 17 feet. How long has it been since you said the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag?

Nancy Hanks Lincoln Cemetery. Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial has the distinguished honor of holding within its boundaries the remains of the mother of President Abraham Lincoln. Autumn frosts of 1818 had already colored the foliage of the oak, hickory, and walnut when Nancy became desperately ill. She was stricken with milk sickness, a poisoning caused by the plant, white snakeroot. Cows ate this abundant weed and passed the poison on in their milk. People who drank this poisoned milk or ate its products faced death. On October 5, 1818, Nancy died. Nancy had been a fine and loving mother. She raised her son and daughter in an environment of love, trust, and understanding. Of her Lincoln said: "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. God bless her."

Woodlands. At present, the woodlands of Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial consist of a mixture of second-growth hardwood forest and scrubby growth in various stages of succession. An area of approximately 16-acres surrounding the Nancy Hanks Lincoln Cemetery is a relatively undisturbed remnant of the original forest found here by the pioneers in the early 19th century. Through scientific study (note red flags throughout the park) and sound management practices, the National Park Service hopes someday to have woodlands that approximate the wilderness forest found by the original pioneers. To help us preserve the natural beauty of our woodlands, please do not disturb the plants, wildlife, or other natural and historic features along the trails. You are encouraged to pick up any trash and litter you find and place it in a trash can. Thank you!

And Grows a Mighty Tree. How does a tree build a trunk that can live for centuries--and hold up the weight of many tons? All of a tree trunk's growing is done in a thin layer of living cells that surround the wood. This layer creates new wood on one side of itself, and new bark on the other. It thus, in effect, moves outward, pushing the bark before it, leaving wood behind. The outer bark is the tree's protection from the outside world. The inner bark is the pipeline through which the food is passed to the rest of the tree. The cambium cell layer is the growing park of the trunk. Sapwood is the tree's pipeline for water moving up to the leaves. Heartwood is the central, supporting pillar of the tree.

The Forest Community. When in the forest, look and listen carefully. You'll be surprises how much there is to see and hear. In the forest, life is everywhere--above the head, beneath your feet, all around you. If you hear a sharp rat-a-tat-a-tat, look in the direction of the sound. You may see a woodpecker drilling to get an insect larva burrowing beneath the bark. Early in the morning or late in the evening, the white-tailed deer are most of ten seen and heard. Most wildflowers appear in the woods in early spring. That's when there is moisture in the ground, and sunlight can bet down to them because the leaves on the trees are not yet fully formed. In a dead log, the forces that renew life are constantly at work. Tiny microbes are busy decomposing leaf litter and fallen logs, returning nutrients to the soil in the process. The bacteria of decay are, of course, too small to be seen or heart, but are very important as they ensure a healthy forest.

Crowned with a Canopy of Leaves. If you look upwards you see very tall trees. They make up the upper story of the forest. Hardwood trees like the oak, hickory, sycamore, and tulip tree help make up the upper story of this Midwestern forest. Smaller trees and shrubs form the forest understory. Dogwoods and redbuds are the most common understory trees here.

We hope you have enjoyed your woodland walk to the Lincoln Living Historical Form. In this brief encounter with nature and history, you have observed some of the environment that helped shape Abraham Lincoln's formative years from age seven to twenty one.

The Lincoln Historical Trail, a one-mile, self-guiding, loop nature trail is another available park activity for those wanting more information on the woodlands and trees of Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. Trail guides can be obtained at the Memorial Visitor Center or at the brochure box at the start of the Lincoln Historical Trail.

(LN-034 Rev. 08-87)

8600 University Boulevard - Evansville, IN 47712-3596 - 812/464-8600