For Lincoln’s Kentucky Years (& another cave)
We drove only 15 miles from our campsite at Mammoth Cave to get to Horse Cave, Kentucky, but it did put us in better position for our…
Visits to 1 new National Park Site:
- Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (#319), where Lincoln’s early life on Kentucky’s frontier shaped his character and prepared him to lead the nation through Civil War. The Birthplace Unit, at Sinking Springs Farm where he was born, is also the site of the first Lincoln Memorial. Its construction was dedicated by Theodore Roosevelt on Lincoln’s 100th Birthday in 1909 and completion dedicated by Taft in 1911. The Memorial Building houses the Symbolic Birth Cabin. The Boyhood Unit, 10 miles away at Knob Creek Farm, is the place where Abraham Lincoln formed his earliest childhood memories from the age of two until eight years old.
At the Birthplace Unit, we explored the exhibits in the Visitor Center and the Memorial, saw the Sinking Springs, and walked the short border trail. At the Boyhood Unit, we explored different exhibits in the Knob Creek Tavern Visitor Center, a log home, and took a 3-mile hike to an overlook.
We learned that Lincoln’s beginnings weren’t quite as humble as we had been taught. Yes, he did live in a one-room cabin and only had one year of formal schooling. However, that was not unusual for a family in their first years of living on the frontier and making a farm. His father was actually “Upper Middle Class”, given what he owned and the taxes he paid.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP-the Lincoln Memorial, with 54 steps, representing his 54 years on earth 
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP-Symbolic Birth Cabin in the Lincoln Memorial 
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP-Sinking Springs, the Lincoln family water source; 
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP-Boyhood Unit VC in the old Knob Creek Tavern 
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP-Boyhood Unit representative Boyhood Cabin 
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP-Boyhood Unit-end of Overlook hike…AH…Overlook view due to the power line clearance 
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP-Boyhood Unit-end of Overlook hike Overlook view
Other Visits in the Area
- In Munfordville, County Seat of Hart County, we visited the Hart County History Museum, walked the Historic Houses Walk, drove by the Kentucky Stonehenge, and visited the Civil War Battle for the Bridge Site.
- In Horse Cave, we took the Hidden River Cave Tour (Hidden River Cave was renamed from Horse Cave, while the town retained the name), explored the American Cave Museum, and had dinner at a local Amish restaurant.
Munfordville, one of the Historic Houses 
Munfordville, so RIDICULOUS…Kentucky Stonehenge on someones private property! 
Hidden River Cave has a huge entrance 
Hidden River Cave has a one-of-a-kind suspension bridge, which took two years to build 
Hidden River Cave end of tour route dome, one of the largest 
Hidden River Cave’s Hidden River
Straddling the CDT / EDT Line for a couple of weeks
We will be in and out of Central and Eastern Time Zones the next couple of weeks, starting here, as Horse Cave is Central and Lincoln’s birthplace is Eastern. Through late April, we’ll continue zigzagging our way through Tennessee, Kentucky & West Virginia to finish seeing all of the National Park Sites in those states. And we do mean Zig Zag! We left Tennessee a week ago, but will return when we are further east.
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