Lincoln State Park
Lincoln State Park | |
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Map of the U.S. state of Indiana showing the location of Lincoln State Park | |
Location | Spencer County, Indiana, United States |
Nearest city | Lincoln City, Indiana |
Coordinates | 38°06′15″N 86°59′47″W / 38.10417°N 86.99639°W |
Area | 1,747 acres (7.07 km2) |
Established | 1932 |
Visitors | 234,226 (in 2018–2019)[1] |
Governing body | Indiana Department of Natural Resources |
Lincoln State Park is a state park of Indiana, United States. It is located in southern Indiana in Spencer County approximately 35 miles (56 km) east of Evansville.
The park was established in 1932 and encompasses 1,747 acres (707 ha). There are 10 miles (16 km) of trails in the park. Many of the recreational facilities found within the park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. In addition to the Sarah Lincoln Woods Nature Preserve, there are two lakes, campgrounds, group cottages, and cabins.[2]
The park provides access to many sites important to
The park is 1 of 14 Indiana State Parks that were in the path of totality for the
Little Pigeon Baptist Church
Noah Gordon donated the land, about a mile and a half from the Lincoln farm, for a church in 1820.[4] In 1821, Abraham Lincoln's father, Thomas Lincoln, 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.[5] The church, like other churches in the West, would not likely have had a college-trained minister.[6] It was a Primitive Baptist or "Hard Shell Baptist" church.[7]
Thomas joined the church with his second wife,
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.[4]
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,
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. 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.[9]
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, leaving from Rockport, to sell goods for Gentry. It was on this trip to New Orleans that Lincoln first witnessed slavery.
The Col. William Jones Home
The park also includes the restored Colonel William Jones House near Gentryville. Col. Jones was a merchant, farmer, politician, and Union Colonel during the American Civil War. The home was built around 1834 and the farm contained a general store where Abraham Lincoln was also employed. Born in Vincennes 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
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
References
- ^ a b "2018 / 2019 Estimated Fiscal Year Visits for Indiana State Parks ~ Alphabetical" (PDF). Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ a b "Lincoln State Park". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ R, Mike (July 14, 2021). "Indiana 2024 Eclipse State Park Resources". CosmosPNW. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87195-443-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-58836-775-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8117-0187-7.
- ^ "Abraham Lincoln was reared in the faith of "Hard Shell" Baptists". The Magazine of History. Vol. 20, no. 1. W. Abbatt. 1922. p. 36.
- ISBN 978-1-68435-064-3.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-0187-7.