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The small Kentucky town of Hodgenville is the nearest settlement to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park.
Introduction to Hodgenville
When Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a nearby log cabin, the area was known as Hodgen’s Mill. It’s named for Pennsylvania native Robert Hodgen who built a mill at the site in 1789. Hodgenville was officially incorporated on February 18, 1836. Today, the town is on the Lincoln Heritage Trail.
Lincoln Square Circle
Lincoln Square Circle, in the center of town, is all about Abe. There’s a statue of a seated Lincoln, and opposite is another statue of a younger Lincoln reading a book.
On each side of the square are inscriptions of Lincoln’s two most famous speeches, the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address. Both are also inscribed in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
From the square you can see the historic buildings around town. One of them is the Hodgenville Christian Church, which was built in 1877 and is the second oldest building in town.
Lincoln Museum
The main attraction in Hodgenville is the Lincoln Museum, which is on one side of the square. It’s a modest museum that tells the story of Lincoln’s life using life-size displays and authentic artifacts. Adult admission is US$5 (as of February 2025), and the museum is open daily. It’s a great complement to visiting the national historical park.
Dioramas include Lincoln’s boyhood on a farm, his love of reading, courting Mary Todd (1818-1882), the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, inauguration, and his assassination.
The upper floors of the museum contain artifacts from the Civil War and items from the Lincoln White House. Lincoln’s life mask from 1860 was also on display, and there’s a nice view of the square from one of the rooms.
