Day 24: Kentucky; first home, old home

This likely will be the end of our Lincoln storyline for quite a while. We visited his birthplace (a national park site) in Hodgenville and were quite struck by the memorial, which features an authentic, early-1800s one-room cabin symbolizing the Lincoln cabin. It's enclosed in a huge granite building, accessed by 56 steps representing the years of his life. Nearby is the farm on which the family lived when Lincoln was ages 2-7. Their years in Kentucky were frustrating because of the state's complicated and convoluted land laws. Thomas Lincoln, Abe's father, lost his first farm (where Abe was born) in a legal dispute over the deed. The family was nearly evicted from the next farm, which they rented, because the owner lost the land in a situation similar to the Lincolns' loss. They moved to Indiana to get away from the entire mess; Kentucky's status as a slave state was another factor in their decision to leave.

Our next stop was Bardstown, where we toured Federal Hill, the mansion now known as "My Old Kentucky Home." It's the central piece of a Kentucky State Park and was the home of one of its more illustrious statesmen, John Rowan. (1773-1843). He was a celebrated lawyer, appellate judge, state Representative, Congressman and Senator. His cousin was Stephen Foster, considered to be the father of American music. He wrote many standards that still are commonly heard today..."Oh, Susanna," "Camptown Races" and  "Beautiful Dreamer," to name a few. It's told that he penned what's now Kentucky's state song, "My Old Kentucky Home," while visiting the Rowan family in their stately mansion. Incidentally, Foster also penned what's now the Florida state song, "Swanee River." He died at the age of 36, having composed more than 200 pieces. It makes you wonder what his body of work would have been had he lived longer.

Back to Federal Hill for just a moment...Rowan named it in honor of his political party, the Federalists, and incorporated the number 13, honoring the 13 colonies, into many of the home's architectural elements: 13 windows on the front of the home, 13 steps between each of its levels, each of which had 13-foot high ceilings and walls 13 inches thick. It seems he wasn't superstitious! The home never left the family and was given to the state in the early 1900s.

While we toured the various outbuildings of the mansion (kitchen, carriage house), Kendall turned to Stan and said, "Daddy, I wish you'd say 'excuse me' when you burp. I'm really tired of reminding you." Wonder how long she'd been processing that one! And not too many minutes later, Kelsey said, "I'm learning so much, I think by the time we reach the end of the trip my head might explode! I love it!" The girls are handling our nomadic lifestyle so well; they're always ready and willing for the next adventure, which we don't take for granted. Tomorrow, Mammoth Cave National Park!

Lincoln Birth Memorial and the 56 steps

our tour guide at Federal Hill wore flip-flops under her gorgeous antebellum gown! Kendall couldn't take her eyes off it.

"My Old Kentucky Home"--it had a full 3rd story that burned in the mid 1800s.