Lincoln Road Trip PDF
Preview Lincoln Road Trip
LINCOLN ROAD TRIP LINCOLN ROAD TRIP THE BACK-ROADS GUIDE TO AMERICA’S FAVORITE PRESIDENT JANE SIMON AMMESON This book is a publication of Red Lightning Books 1320 East 10th Street Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA redlightningbooks.com © 2019 by Jane Ammeson All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Manufactured in the United States of America ISBN 978-1-68435-062-9 ISBN 978-1-68435-065-0 1 2 3 4 5 24 23 22 21 20 19 Contents ★ Preface and Acknowledgments vii Prologue 1 1 | In the Beginning: The Lincoln Heritage 8 2 | Bardstown and Bourbon 48 3 | Lexington, Kentucky: Athens of the West 63 4 | Southeastern Indiana Trails 82 5 | Southwestern Indiana: Life in Little Pigeon Creek 102 6 | Lincoln in Illinois: A River Runs through It 142 7 | Other Places along the Way 192 8 | Endings 200 Selected Bibliography 211 Index of Place Names 215 ★ Preface and Acknowledgments Though the largest and best-known place to explore Lincoln’s history is Springfield, Illinois, where his home, law office, mau- soleum, and other remnants of his life are well preserved, when I began my journey for this book I wanted to find Lincoln and his family off the well-traveled roads, on the backroads and byways where he lived most of his life before becoming presi- dent. Following Lincoln’s footsteps meant spreading out large maps and pinpointing the interconnecting links that crisscross through Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and even Michigan— though Lincoln seems to have made it there only once. I am not a historian by training, but I love historical travel, and telling Lincoln’s story as a journey is something I’ve always enjoyed, whether it’s for magazines, newspapers, or travel apps, and getting to explore new “old” places has been a joy. In my wanderings, I’ve met people who were related to Lincoln’s neigh- bors and even to Lincoln himself, such as Daryl Lovell, Barb and Jim Hevron, and Jerry Smith, who live in southwestern Indiana. Though no direct descendants survive (three of Mary and Abe Lincoln’s four children died young), there are still fam- ily stories, passed down through generations, about Lincolns’ time in the area. I’ve also met and befriended descendants of Lincoln’s brother Josiah, who settled on the southeastern side of Indiana. Much of the natural landscape, with its rolling hills and woodlands, seems not to have changed since Lincoln’s time. Sure, there are no longer panthers, bears, or wolves, but its vii rural beauty endures. Many of the historic buildings from the time of Lincoln’s youth remain as well. “When you touch this bannister,” the guide says as I walk up the stairs of the Mary Todd Lincoln home in Lexington, Kentucky, “you’re touching the same wood Abraham Lincoln once touched.” It’s a simple sentence, but it still produces a thrill. Though we know about many of the major events in Lincoln’s life, there’s controversy as well. Indeed, my good friend Mike Flannery, a longtime Chicago television political reporter, tells me more books have been written about Lincoln than anyone besides Jesus Christ. Real Lincoln historians spar over many aspects of his life, although I think they do all agree on the date of his death. When researching and writing this book, I often found well-respected scholars with conflicting information and interpretations. I’ve tried to use the most frequently report- ed “facts” and contemporary sources, although I understand that having something reported often doesn’t mean it’s true, and that even chroniclers of his day could and did misinterpret Lincoln or have their own agenda. I’d like to point out that in this book I mention numerous in- cidents where settlers in the Lincoln/Boone families were killed by Indians—but it’s important to note that settlers also killed a large number of Native Americans. In his book The Wild Frontier: Atrocities during the American-Indian War from Jamestown Colony to Wounded Knee, lawyer William M. Osborn attempted to list both alleged and actual atrocities in what would eventually be- come the United States. Starting from first contact in 1511 and ending in 1890, he documents the intentional and indiscrim- inate murder, torture, or mutilation of civilians, the wound- ed, and prisoners. His tally accounts for 7,193 people who died from monstrosities perpetrated by those of European descent and 9,156 people who died from atrocities committed by Native Americans. Of course, many attacks and murders were never recorded, and countless records have been lost to time. But Osborn’s work indicates neither side was innocent of violent behavior. viii Preface and acknowledgments Many of the people in Lincoln’s early life were uneducated, and their spelling is irregular and characteristic of the time. In trying to keep the flavor of their written statements, I have kept their original spellings as well. Many newspapers in the early part of the 1800s used that old English spelling where the letter s in the middle of a word looks like an f. That I did change when necessary because it drove me crazy, and I figured it would drive readers just as crazy. As for my own history writing this book and retracing Lincoln’s life, I’ve had the wonderful support of so many people whose very hard work made all this possible. I owe a big thank- you to all of them. I hope I haven’t left anyone out, but if I have, please forgive me. Darlene Briscoe, descendant of Josiah Lincoln Melissa Brockman, executive director, Spencer County Visitors Bureau Mike Capps, chief of interpretation and resource management at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Dixon Dedman, owner of the Beaumont Inn and distiller of Kentucky Owl Megan Fernandez, descendant of Josiah Lincoln Michael J. Flannery, Fox News-Chicago political anchor Katie Fussenegger, CTP, CTIS, executive director, Shelby, Kentucky, Tourism & Visitors Bureau Karen P. Hackett, executive director, Harrodsburg/Mercer County Tourist Commission Niki Heichelbech-Goldey, director of communications, VisitLEX Kathy Hertel-Baker, director of archives, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Jim and Barb Hevron, authors and historians Joe Hevron, 1929–2011, avid Lincoln historian who worked at Holiday World for sixty-five years Harold Holzer Mike Kienzler, editor, SangamonLink.org, online encyclopedia of the Sangamon County Historical Society Preface and acknowledgments ix
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