Last week I asked: Who was the Great Emancipator?
Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, is remembered for his honesty, tolerance, and hard work.
There are many places to honor Lincoln, but only a few in New York State.
There are three sculptures in New York City’s parks including a larger than life one at Union Park Square.
And, in 2009 the Monroe County renamed Irondequoit Bay Park in his honor, now known as Abraham Lincoln Park.
Here are some destinations for your Lincoln Bucket List.
1. Birthplace: Abraham Lincoln was the first president born west of the Appalachian Mountains. He was born in a log cabin in Kentucky and when he was two and a half the family moved ten miles away to a farm on Knob Creek. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site consists of both sites.
2. Boyhood home: In 1816, the Lincolns moved to a tiny settlement in southern Indiana where Abraham Lincoln lived for 14 years, growing from a boy to a young man. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial preserves the site of the family farm and the traditional gravesite of his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln.
3. Springfield Home: “I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington,” said Abraham Lincoln when he left his home of seventeen years to serve as president of a nation on the verge of Civil War.
4. The White House: The famed Lincoln Bedroom is on the second floor of the White House. A sofa and three matching chairs used during the Lincoln administration are part of the furniture. Lincoln never slept here but used the room as an office.
5. The Old Soldiers’ Home: Lincoln was one of four presidents who escaped the heat and humidity of summer in Washington, DC at The Old Soldiers’ Home three miles from the White House where he enjoyed the cool breezes and quiet. It is where he wrote the final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862.
6. Gettysburg: Stand on the site where on Thursday, November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln’s speech came to be regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. It was delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pa., where the turning point of the Civil War took place.
7. Ford’s Theater: The national historic site consists of two units: Ford’s Theatre, the scene of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and, across the street, the Petersen House, where Lincoln died early the next morning without regaining consciousness.
8. Tomb: Lincoln is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois, along with his wife, Mary Todd, and three of their four sons. The day President Lincoln died, a group of Springfield citizens formed the National Lincoln Monument Association and spearheaded a drive for funds to construct a memorial or tomb.
9. Lincoln Memorial: On the Memorial in Washington an inscription reads: “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” A colonnade of 36 Doric columns surrounds the memorial chamber representing the number of States in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death.
10. Lincoln Memorial University: Located on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, the Abraham Lincoln Museum houses one of the most diverse Lincoln collections. On view are the cane Lincoln carried that fateful night at Ford’s Theater, two life masks, and numerous other artifacts.
Travel Trivia Tease™: Where can you enjoy the winter?
Look for the answer next week.
Sandra and her husband, John, have been exploring the world for decades, always on the lookout for something new and unique to experience. We have sailed down the Nile for a week on a felucca, stayed with the Pesch Indians in La Mosquitia, visited schools in a variety of countries, and — to add balance to our life — stayed at some of the most luxurious hotels in the world. Let the fun continue!
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