Lincoln State Park
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Lincoln State Park is a
state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
of
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It is located in
southern Indiana Southern Indiana is a region consisting of the southern third of the state of Indiana. The region's history and geography has led to a blend of Northern and Southern culture distinct from the remainder of Indiana. It is often considered to be p ...
in Spencer County approximately east of
Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...
. The park was established in 1932 and encompasses . There are of trails in the park. Many of the recreational facilities found within the park were constructed by the
Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. In addition to the Sarah Lincoln Woods Nature Preserve, there are two lakes, campgrounds, group cottages, and cabins. The park provides access to many sites important to
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
during his childhood, including Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home; the Little Pigeon Creek Baptist Church and Cemetery, where his sister
Sarah Lincoln Grigsby The Lincoln family is an American family of English origins. It includes the fourth United States Attorney General, Levi Lincoln, Sr., senators Levi Lincoln, Jr. and Enoch Lincoln, and Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United State ...
is buried; and the home of Colonel Jones a Civil War officer and merchant who employed Lincoln. Memorials were established to recognize Lincoln's mother
Nancy Hanks Lincoln Nancy Hanks Lincoln (February 5, 1784 – October 5, 1818) was the mother of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Her marriage to Thomas Lincoln also produced a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Thomas Jr. When Nancy and Thomas had been married for ...
, whose gravesite is now contained within the adjacent
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a United States presidential memorial and a National Historic Landmark District in Lincoln City, Indiana. It preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830. During that ...
. There is also an interpretive center. The park receives about 235,000 visitors annually. The park is 1 of 14 Indiana State Parks that are in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, with 2 minutes and 5 seconds of totality.


Little Pigeon Baptist Church

Noah Gordon donated the land, about a mile and a half from the Lincoln farm, for a church in 1820. In 1821, Abraham Lincoln's father,
Thomas Lincoln Thomas Lincoln (January 6, 1778 – January 17, 1851) was an American farmer, carpenter, and father of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Unlike some of his ancestors, Thomas could not write. He struggled to make a succes ...
, was asked to oversee the construction of the Little Pigeon Baptist Church. Abraham, at age twelve, helped his father build the church. Thomas also constructed the cabinets and pulpit inside the church. The church, like other churches in the West, would not likely have had a college-trained minister. It was a
Primitive Baptist Primitive Baptists – also known as Hard Shell Baptists, Foot Washing Baptists or Old School Baptists – are conservative Baptists adhering to a degree of Calvinist beliefs who coalesced out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 19th c ...
or "Hard Shell Baptist" church. Thomas joined the church with his second wife,
Sarah Bush Lincoln Sarah Bush Lincoln (December 13, 1788 – April 12, 1869) was the second wife of Thomas Lincoln and stepmother of Abraham Lincoln. She was born in Kentucky to Christopher and Hannah Bush. She married her first husband, Daniel Johnston, in 1806, a ...
, on June 7, 1823, and five days later became a trustee. The church membership was generally limited to married adults. Thomas's daughter
Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...
, for instance, was not made a member until 1826, shortly before her marriage. The
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...
and Johnston children stayed at home when their parents went to church. Later, Abraham attended church. In 1825, the church decided to build a cemetery alongside the church. The church provided a means for a number of social gatherings for men and women. It was called the Old Pigeon Church after several families, including the Grigsbys, split off from the church in 1840 and built a new Little Pigeon Baptist Church farther south. They split off from the old church due to differences of opinion about Sunday school and mission work. The current structure is part of the state park and contains a cornerstone from the original church. Near the church is a small cemetery where the grave of Lincoln's sister,
Sarah Lincoln Grigsby The Lincoln family is an American family of English origins. It includes the fourth United States Attorney General, Levi Lincoln, Sr., senators Levi Lincoln, Jr. and Enoch Lincoln, and Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United State ...
, is located. A congregation no longer worships there.


The Noah Gordon Mill Site

Also within the park are the Noah Gordon home and mill sites. Noah Gordon was a neighbor of the Lincoln family and maintained a small grain
mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...
. Abraham Lincoln spent many hours waiting his turn to mill grain here. Nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln was knocked unconscious for several hours after he was kicked in the head by a horse milling grain at Gordon's mill.


The James Gentry Home Site

Young Abraham Lincoln worked for James Gentry at his general store. The home site of James Gentry is located within Lincoln State Park off of trail 3. Abraham Lincoln took a flatboat trip to
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
, leaving from Rockport, to sell goods for Gentry. It was on this trip to New Orleans that Lincoln first witnessed
slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
.


The Col. William Jones Home

The park also includes the restored
Colonel William Jones House Colonel William Jones House, also known as William Jones State Historic Site, is a historic house in Gentryville and the Lincoln State Park in Jackson Township, Spencer County, Indiana. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...
near Gentryville. Col. Jones was a merchant, farmer, politician, and
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
Colonel during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. The home was built around 1834 and the farm contained a general store where Abraham Lincoln was also employed. Born in
Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...
in 1803, Jones settled in Spencer County in 1828. Jones and his wife, Rachel, raised five sons on this farm. The home is open for tours, including a restored log barn. The home is located 1/4 mile west of Gentryville on Boone Street.


Lincoln Amphitheatre

Within Lincoln State Park is the Lincoln Amphitheatre, a modern covered outdoor
amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
that was constructed in 1987 and began producing ''Young Abe Lincoln'' (written by
Billy Edd Wheeler Billy Edward "Edd" Wheeler (born December 9, 1932, Boone County, West Virginia, United States) is an American songwriter, performer, writer, and visual artist. His songs include "Jackson" (Grammy award winner for Johnny Cash and June Carter) ...
), that year. After being closed in 2005, ''Lincoln: Upon The Altar of Freedom'' premiered in June 2009 for the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. The play returned for a second year in June 2010 and introduced the new "Concert in the Park" which features cast members singing some of the most popular songs and hymns during Lincoln's life following each nightly performance. In 2011 ''Lincoln: Upon The Altar of Freedom'' was rewritten into a musical renamed ''A. Lincoln: A Pioneer Tale''. It recounts both Lincoln's childhood and major events in his presidency. It opened on June 8, 2012. It played its third season in 2014. ''A Pioneer Tale'' and The Lincoln Amphitheater went dark in 2015 for changes in management. In the 2016 season, The Indiana Department of Tourism operated the amphitheater. ''A Pioneer Tale'' would play its 4th season that same year with many concerts taking place during the 2016 season. In 2017, The Actor's Community Theater of Jasper remounted a 30th-anniversary production of ''Young Abe Lincoln'' as part of the 2017 season. It was performed again in 2018 as an "Encore" Production. In 2019, ''Here I Grew Up'', a brand new Lincoln Drama premiered at the Lincoln Amphitheatre. The show had a book written by Jasmine Bosler, Kyle Rupert, Molly Rupert, Dean Dorrell, Heath Kluemper and Tyler Smith, with music written by Jason Kleiman.


Lincoln Interpretive Center

Seasonal programs are offered at the Lincoln Interpretive Center, the park's nature center, which also features natural history exhibits.


See also

*
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a United States presidential memorial and a National Historic Landmark District in Lincoln City, Indiana. It preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830. During that ...


References


External links


Lincoln State ParkLincoln Amphitheatre
* {{Authority control 1932 establishments in Indiana Civilian Conservation Corps in Indiana Historic house museums in Indiana Museums in Spencer County, Indiana Nature centers in Indiana Protected areas established in 1932 Protected areas of Spencer County, Indiana State parks of Indiana