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Lincoln Home

Lincoln Home paranormal

Photo by: Marianne Donley
Location submitted by: sdonley on 11/12/2017
DBA Approved: Y


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PANICd#: 1974

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The family home of the Lincoln's before they left for Washington, D.C. This is the only home that President Lincoln owned.

426 S. 7th Street
Springfield , IL 62701
Phone: (217) 492-4241
Open to the public: Yes

https://www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm

Lat: 39.7975096
Lon: -89.6461759

Database Summary:

Demographic Rank: 6
History: 2
Stories: 1
Claims: 6
Evidence: 1
Resources: 2
Retrievals: 12247
Vistor Rating: 1.0
Votes: 1

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History

History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.


In 1837, Lincoln moved to Springfield from New Salem at the start of his law career. He met his wife, Mary Todd, at her sister's home in Springfield and married there in 1842.

The historic-site house, purchased by Lincoln and his wife in 1844, was the only home that Lincoln ever owned. Their children, four sons, were born there and one, Eddie died there. Located at the corner of Eighth and Jackson Streets, the house contains twelve rooms spread over two floors. During the time he lived here, Lincoln was elected to the House of Representatives in 1846, and elected President in 1860.

Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln donated the family home to the State of Illinois in 1887 under the condition that it would forever be well maintained and open to the public at no charge. This came as a result of tenants who would charge those who wanted to visit Lincoln's home and that many tenants tended to leave the home in disrepair. The home and Lincoln Tomb, also in Springfield, were designated National Historic Landmarks on December 19, 1960, and automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The home and adjacent district became a National Historic Site on August 18, 1971 and is owned and administered by the National Park Service. It is one of two National Park Service properties in Illinois.

Along with the Lincoln Home, several other structures within the four-block area are also preserved. All the homes have been restored to their appearance during the time Lincoln lived in the neighborhood. Two of these structures, the Dean House and the Arnold House, are open to visitors and house exhibits on the life and times of Lincoln and his neighbors. In total, the buildings included in the park occupy 12 acres (49,000 m2).

Added by: sdonley on 11/12/2017 DB#:342
Source(s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Home_Nationa...


It doesn't impress like George Washington's plantation on the Potomac or Thomas Jefferson's mountain retreat, but Lincoln's home in downtown Springfield has proved irresistible to visitors since it opened to the public. Beautifully restored to its 1860 appearance, the Greek Revival house was Abraham and Mary Lincoln's home for 17 years. In 1844 they bought it for $1,200 and some land from the Rev. Charles Dresser, who performed their marriage ceremony in 1842.

When the house was built, it was much smaller than you see it today. Mary's niece wrote, "The little home was painted white and had green shutters. It was sweet and fresh, and Mary loved it. She was exquisitely dainty, and her house was a reflection of herself, everything in good taste and in perfect order."

The Lincolns enlarged the house to a full two stories in 1856 to meet the needs of their growing family. You'll find the painted frame building in a shady residential neighborhood with wood plank sidewalks, ideal for a leisurely walk. The four-block area around it is being restored to the same time period by the National Park Service.

Three of the four Lincoln sons were born here, and one (Edward) died here in 1850 at nearly four years of age. When Lincoln won the 1860 Republican Presidential nomination, he received a delegation of party officials in his parlor.

Although Mary loved flowers, neither she or her husband were known as gardeners or devoted much effort to landscaping the grounds. A long-time neighbor said they never planted trees and only kept a garden one year. Mary's sister, Frances Todd Wallace, apparently was eager to fill this horticultural vacuum, for she often came over to plant flowers in the front yard.

When Lincoln became a presidential candidate the house became a magnet for visitors, parades, rallies and other political festivities. After holding farewell receptions there in 1861, the Lincolns rented it, sold most of their furniture, and entrusted the family dog to a neighbor.

Added by: sdonley on 11/12/2017 DB#:343
Source(s):
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/sites/...


Stories

Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location.


Some visitors to the Lincoln home have reported seeing a tall, thin apparition with a little boy, perhaps Abe and little Edward. Most visitors who experience a paranormal event in the house, however, say that it is the ghost of Mary Todd Lincoln who lingers there, in the place where she lived the happiest years of her adult life.

The park employees are reticent to speak about the ghosts. However, Shirlie Laughlin, an employee at the Abraham Lincoln Home, told of her experiences there in a 1998 interview with a reporter from Arlington Heights's Daily Herald:

"I was rearranging the furniture in Mary Todd Lincoln's bedroom not long ago, trying to decide whether to move a small chair into another room. Something-someone-kept touching me on the shoulder. I kept looking around, but no one was there. I left that chair right where it was."

Shirlie also reported seeing the rocker in the parlor move and said that she could feel "wind rushing down the hall," despite the fact that all the windows in the house are kept tightly shut.

Added by: sdonley on 11/12/2017 DB#:1323
Source(s):
http://americashauntedroadtrip.com/tag/abraham-lin...


Paranormal Claims

Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.


Claim # Added Added By Claim
2606 11/18/2017 sdonley An apparition of a tall man has been seen.
2607 11/18/2017 sdonley An apparition of a small boy has been seen.
2608 11/18/2017 sdonley Employees have reported being touched.
2609 11/18/2017 sdonley Employees have reported seeing a rocking chair move.
2610 11/18/2017 sdonley Employees have reported the feeling of air rushing down the hall.
2740 02/07/2018 sdonley People/Investigators have recorded voices and unexplained sounds.

Paranormal Evidence

Paranormal evidence is based on claims that have been reported for this location. There can be several types of evidence; however, we have grouped them based on media type for better organization. Here you will find evidence that are logs, audio, video, or photographic.

To add evidence for a claim, you must submit it to PANICd.com for approval to be entered into the database.


CLAIM #: 2740 - People/Investigators have recorded voices and unexplained sounds.



Evidence Type: Video
Encounter Type: EVP
Hauting Type: Unknown
Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed
EVP of Giggle in the Family Room
Submitted By: sdonley On: 02/07/2018
DBA Approved: Y

Additional Resources

This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.


Wikipedia Entry
Added: 11/12/2017 By: sdonley
Wikipedia entry for this location.
Complex Listing
Added: 11/18/2017 By: sdonley
A listing of all of the buildings located within the Lincoln Home complex.

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