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© Abraham Lincoln OnlineLincoln's Knob Creek
The following is a February 1, 2002 press release from the National Park Service about the acquisition of the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln near Hodgenville, Kentucky.
Farm Donated to
National Park Service
(Kentucky) - In a 1:00 p.m. public ceremony on February 12, National Park Service Director Fran Mainella will accept the 228-acre Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Creek in LaRue County, Kentucky, from the LaRue County Fiscal Court on behalf of Department of the Interior Secretary Gale Norton. Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Creek will be administrated by the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site south of Hodgenville, Kentucky.
"This is a significant addition to telling the life story of our 16th President," said Mainella. "The people of Kentucky, especially LaRue County, deserve the gratitude of every United States citizen for donating Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Creek to the federal government."
When asked about his Kentucky years, Abraham Lincoln was able to recall, "My earliest recollection is the Knob Creek place." At the Knob Creek Farm Lincoln planted crops with his father, watched chained slaves transported along the nearby Louisville to Nashville Road, walked to school with his sister Sarah, and saw the sheriff approach to evict the family because of a flaw in the land title. The family moved to Indiana in 1816 when Lincoln was seven years old.
"Many community, state, and national groups and individuals have worked for several years to make this a reality. This is the perfect success story of what public-private partnerships can accomplish," said Kenneth E. Apschnikat, Superintendent of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site.
LaRue County Judge Tommy Turner stated, "This is a unique piece of American history that is now preserved for future generations. Under National Park Service guidance, the Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home will add another link to Abraham Lincoln's Kentucky heritage. National Park Service ownership of the Boyhood Home will allow the world to view and enjoy this Kentucky treasure as Lincoln himself did."
While the Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home became federal property on November 6, 2001, this ceremony will honor and recognize the many individuals and organizations responsible for its acquisition and transfer to the federal government three years after Congress authorized its inclusion as part of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site. Local citizens and LaRue County officials successfully organized a $1 million fundraising campaign. Major contributions were received from the Kentucky General Assembly, Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund, National Park Trust, LaRue County Fiscal Court, Kentucky Association of Professional Surveyors, Preservation of Lincoln's Kentucky Heritage, Inc., and Lincoln National Bank. Several community individuals also contributed time and money to the 14-month fundraising effort.
The ceremony for the deed transfer will take place at 1:00 p.m. February 12, 2002, the 193rd anniversary of Lincoln's birthday, at the LaRue County High School Gymnasium in Hodgenville, Kentucky. For more information about the ceremony and related events, please contact Rebecca Thomas, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHS (270) 358-3137.
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