Table Of ContentLINCOLN
ROAD
TRIP
LINCOLN
ROAD
TRIP
THE BACK-ROADS
GUIDE TO
AMERICA’S FAVORITE
PRESIDENT
JANE SIMON AMMESON
This book is a publication of
Red Lightning Books
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
redlightningbooks.com
© 2019 by Jane Ammeson
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Manufactured in the United States of America
ISBN 978-1-68435-062-9
ISBN 978-1-68435-065-0
1 2 3 4 5 24 23 22 21 20 19
Contents
★
Preface and Acknowledgments vii
Prologue 1
1 | In the Beginning: The Lincoln Heritage 8
2 | Bardstown and Bourbon 48
3 | Lexington, Kentucky: Athens of the West 63
4 | Southeastern Indiana Trails 82
5 | Southwestern Indiana: Life in Little Pigeon Creek 102
6 | Lincoln in Illinois: A River Runs through It 142
7 | Other Places along the Way 192
8 | Endings 200
Selected Bibliography 211
Index of Place Names 215
★
Preface and Acknowledgments
Though the largest and best-known place to explore Lincoln’s
history is Springfield, Illinois, where his home, law office, mau-
soleum, and other remnants of his life are well preserved, when
I began my journey for this book I wanted to find Lincoln and
his family off the well-traveled roads, on the backroads and
byways where he lived most of his life before becoming presi-
dent. Following Lincoln’s footsteps meant spreading out large
maps and pinpointing the interconnecting links that crisscross
through Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and even Michigan—
though Lincoln seems to have made it there only once.
I am not a historian by training, but I love historical travel,
and telling Lincoln’s story as a journey is something I’ve always
enjoyed, whether it’s for magazines, newspapers, or travel apps,
and getting to explore new “old” places has been a joy. In my
wanderings, I’ve met people who were related to Lincoln’s neigh-
bors and even to Lincoln himself, such as Daryl Lovell, Barb
and Jim Hevron, and Jerry Smith, who live in southwestern
Indiana. Though no direct descendants survive (three of Mary
and Abe Lincoln’s four children died young), there are still fam-
ily stories, passed down through generations, about Lincolns’
time in the area. I’ve also met and befriended descendants of
Lincoln’s brother Josiah, who settled on the southeastern side
of Indiana.
Much of the natural landscape, with its rolling hills and
woodlands, seems not to have changed since Lincoln’s time.
Sure, there are no longer panthers, bears, or wolves, but its
vii
rural beauty endures. Many of the historic buildings from the
time of Lincoln’s youth remain as well. “When you touch this
bannister,” the guide says as I walk up the stairs of the Mary
Todd Lincoln home in Lexington, Kentucky, “you’re touching
the same wood Abraham Lincoln once touched.”
It’s a simple sentence, but it still produces a thrill.
Though we know about many of the major events in Lincoln’s
life, there’s controversy as well. Indeed, my good friend Mike
Flannery, a longtime Chicago television political reporter, tells
me more books have been written about Lincoln than anyone
besides Jesus Christ. Real Lincoln historians spar over many
aspects of his life, although I think they do all agree on the date
of his death. When researching and writing this book, I often
found well-respected scholars with conflicting information and
interpretations. I’ve tried to use the most frequently report-
ed “facts” and contemporary sources, although I understand
that having something reported often doesn’t mean it’s true,
and that even chroniclers of his day could and did misinterpret
Lincoln or have their own agenda.
I’d like to point out that in this book I mention numerous in-
cidents where settlers in the Lincoln/Boone families were killed
by Indians—but it’s important to note that settlers also killed a
large number of Native Americans. In his book The Wild Frontier:
Atrocities during the American-Indian War from Jamestown Colony
to Wounded Knee, lawyer William M. Osborn attempted to list
both alleged and actual atrocities in what would eventually be-
come the United States. Starting from first contact in 1511 and
ending in 1890, he documents the intentional and indiscrim-
inate murder, torture, or mutilation of civilians, the wound-
ed, and prisoners. His tally accounts for 7,193 people who died
from monstrosities perpetrated by those of European descent
and 9,156 people who died from atrocities committed by Native
Americans. Of course, many attacks and murders were never
recorded, and countless records have been lost to time. But
Osborn’s work indicates neither side was innocent of violent
behavior.
viii Preface and acknowledgments
Many of the people in Lincoln’s early life were uneducated,
and their spelling is irregular and characteristic of the time. In
trying to keep the flavor of their written statements, I have kept
their original spellings as well. Many newspapers in the early
part of the 1800s used that old English spelling where the letter
s in the middle of a word looks like an f. That I did change when
necessary because it drove me crazy, and I figured it would drive
readers just as crazy.
As for my own history writing this book and retracing
Lincoln’s life, I’ve had the wonderful support of so many people
whose very hard work made all this possible. I owe a big thank-
you to all of them. I hope I haven’t left anyone out, but if I have,
please forgive me.
Darlene Briscoe, descendant of Josiah Lincoln
Melissa Brockman, executive director, Spencer County Visitors
Bureau
Mike Capps, chief of interpretation and resource management
at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Dixon Dedman, owner of the Beaumont Inn and distiller of
Kentucky Owl
Megan Fernandez, descendant of Josiah Lincoln
Michael J. Flannery, Fox News-Chicago political anchor
Katie Fussenegger, CTP, CTIS, executive director, Shelby,
Kentucky, Tourism & Visitors Bureau
Karen P. Hackett, executive director, Harrodsburg/Mercer
County Tourist Commission
Niki Heichelbech-Goldey, director of communications, VisitLEX
Kathy Hertel-Baker, director of archives, Sisters of Charity of
Nazareth
Jim and Barb Hevron, authors and historians
Joe Hevron, 1929–2011, avid Lincoln historian who worked at
Holiday World for sixty-five years
Harold Holzer
Mike Kienzler, editor, SangamonLink.org, online encyclopedia
of the Sangamon County Historical Society
Preface and acknowledgments ix
