Take me back to the Oral History landing page.
Tim Townsend - Historians Speak
Tim Townsend began working at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois in 1991, and at the time of the interview served as the site's historian. He spoke extensively about the many plans that civic groups and individuals developed for the home and surrounding area during the early 20th Century. In 1967 Congressman Paul Findlay, whose district included the Lincoln home, began to champion efforts to have the federal government take over the home (then owned and operated by the state of Illinois, with adjacent properties owned by local property owners). After several years Congress passed legislation transferring the home and the project to the National Park Service, which continues to operate the site. President Richard Nixon signed the legislation in August 1971. Following that, the site underwent dramatic changes. The home went through major renovations in the mid-1950s and again in the late 1980s.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt-Audio
Paul Harvey Quote
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Townsend’s personal information & 19th Century story of Lincoln home
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
20th Century history of Lincoln home and National Historic Site
Related Materials
See also
See also the tour of the Lincoln home given by Susan Haake, which is in the Architectural Gems collection.
Photos
Caption
Lincoln supporters gathered outside the Lincoln home in Springfield for a political rally in 1860. Lincoln himself is dressed in white and standing near the door of the house.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1860
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Captain
This 1925 sketch shows the proposed Municipal Group to be built around the Lincoln Home, and included the Lincoln Home and structures plus a large auditorium, as well as a new City Hall building and a number of columned memorials and museums.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1925
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
A 1925 map of the proposed Municipal Group for Springfield, Illinois, with greenways connecting Washington Park, Lincoln Park, the State Capitol, the Governor’s mansion, the Lincoln Home area, and the proposed Union Station.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1925
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Young women have left a bus and are headed toward the Lincoln Home during a school visit to the site in the 1950s.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1950's
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
This gift shop formerly stood across the street from the Lincoln Home in the 1950s.That area is now a vacant lot.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1950's
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Richard Hagen, in the pit, supervised an archaeological dig at the Lincoln Home site circa 1953.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 1953
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
An artist’s rendition of the Lincoln Memorial Center, a proposed layout for the Lincoln Home area being considered in the mid-1950s. Additions included a band shell, a souvenir shop, the Lincoln birthplace, and a statue of George Washington.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1950's
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
This model of the Civic Center plan for the Lincoln Home area dates from 1957. It included a city hall, county building, a parking garage, a civic auditorium in a geodesic dome, and a Lincoln museum with historic structures.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1957
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
A map of the Historical Sites commission’s plan for the Lincoln Home Area from 1966 included the Lincoln home and carriage house, the Corneau Home information center, extensive parking, and other restored historic homes.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1966
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
In this 1966 photo of Eighth Street in Springfield shows the Lincoln Home on the right, flanked on the left by a souvenir shop and the Corneau House, a Lincoln-period home used at that time by the State of Illinois as an information center.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1966
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
President Richard Nixon signed legislation authorizing the establishment of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, on August 18, 1971. Governor Ogilvie and Congressman Findley are in the back.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
August 18, 1971
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Tom Pacha and two other National Park Service employees worked on putting up the first sign for the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in 1971.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1971
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
President Gerald Ford arrived at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site on March 5, 1976 for the dedication of the Visitor Center. He was greeted by Albert W. Banton, Jr. the first superintendent of the Historic Site.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Tim Townsend played on his high school football team, the Stockton High School Blackhawks, in 1983.
Where:
Stockton, Illinois
When:
1983
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Tim Townsend (left) and Susan Haake (right) took their photo with U.S. Representative Robert Michel and Linda Norbut Suits of IHPA during Michel’s visit to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in 1993. The home was in Michel’s district.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1993
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Tim Townsend was interviewed for a C-Span interview on the life of Abraham Lincoln in 1999.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1999
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
In 2006 Tim Townsend took a closer look of an archaeological dig of the Carrigan Lot next to the Lincoln Home.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2006
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Tim Townsend takes a moment to relax on the back porch of the Lincoln Home in July 2008.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
July 2008
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tim Townsend stands in front of the Lincoln Home in July 2008.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
July 2008
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tim and Diane Townsend, Susan Haake and others enjoyed the night at the Abraham Lincoln Association’s Annual Banquet on February 12, 2009.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
February 12, 2009
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tim Townsend joined Kathy DeHart, Lincoln reenactor Fritz Kline, Susan Haake and Paul Presney for the “1st Presbyterian program” in 2009.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2009
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tim Townsend is leading a teacher workshop at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in 2009.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2009
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Tim Townsend (left), Kathryn Harris (red hat), and several young men stand in front of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Memorial, designed by Preston Jackson, which was unveiled in August 2009.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
August 2009
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tim Townsend met with students and teachers from Forrestal Elementary School of North Chicago on May 1, 2013.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
May 1, 2013
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Tim Townsend was interviewed by Mark McDonald, host of the PBS series Illinois Stories, during an archaeological dig in the Jenkins Lot at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in 2014.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2014
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tim Townsend filmed a segment for the Illinois Youth Summit in front of the Lincoln Home in 2015.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2015
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Tim Townsend shows a group of students from the Spirit of Lincoln Youth Leadership Academy, an employment training program for interns, around the Lincoln Home site in 2015.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2015
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Townsend (left), Titi Sai (center) and Justin Blandford (right) of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, joined several members of the Spirit of Lincoln Youth Leadership Academy dressed as Union soldiers in the visitor center circa 2015.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 2015
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.