Tomb Case 2

The Lincoln Home

Following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, ownership of his home passed to his oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln. Robert continued to lease out the house, as the Lincolns had done during their time in Washington. Over the years, visitors increasingly began requesting tours and the home gradually transformed from a regular dwelling to a site of reverence. In 1887, Robert deeded the house to the State of Illinois, cementing its status as a historic site.

The power of the Lincoln Home was evident in the register of visitors from 1892 to 1951. Among the signatures in the book were those of President Calvin Coolidge, famed bandleader John Philip Sousa, and Hollywood actor Shirley Temple. This page recorded Tuskegee Institute’s President, Booker T. Washington’s visit, on August 7, 1903. He gave a speech in Petersburg, Illinois, earlier that day and paid his respects with a tour of Lincoln’s home and tomb. 

In a February 12, 1909, speech, on Lincoln’s birthday, Washington captured his thoughts about the president’s legacy to the Nation.

“Knit into the life of Abraham Lincoln is the story and success of the Nation in the blending of all tongues, religions, colors, races, into one composite Nation, leaving each group and race free to live its own separate social life, and yet all a part of the great whole.”

Booker T. Washington, New York City, February 12, 1909

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