Cushaw Squash

White and Green striped cushaw squash are grown at the Lincoln Living Historical Farm.  The white squash is the variety grown by the Lincoln Family when they lived in Indiana

NPS

When the Lincolns moved from Kentucky to Indiana in 1816, they brought seeds from the cushaw squash with them. When they moved to Illinois in 1830 they then took the seeds with them to their new home. There is a family in Illinois that claims to have bartered seeds of their cushaws from Thomas Lincoln. Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial obtained seeds from them, and that is the cushaw squash that we currently grow at our Lincoln Living Historical Farm.

There are now many different varieties of cushaw, but the squash that Thomas Lincoln had was white necked. By growing the squash here at the park, as well as numerous other places throughout the county, we are preserving the history and heritage that the cushaw represents.

In past several years, the staff of Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial handed out seeds of the cushaw squash grown on the park. Visitors have been encouraged to plant the seeds and grow their own, and to share with the park about the yields of their harvests.