Lincoln Boyhood Historic Resource Study

DESIGNATION AS A NATIONAL MEMORIAL

The 1959 study concluded that the park should remain under state ownership and control. The State of Indiana, however, recognized the status assigned to parks controlled by the National Park Service and spent the next two years lobbying for its designation as a national memorial. Congressman Winfield K. Denton was especially instrumental to persuading the National Park Service to reconsider its position. In 1962, these efforts were rewarded with the passage of P.L. 87-407, 46 Stat. 9 (P.L. 87-407), authorizing the establishment of the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. [232]

In June 1963, the State of Indiana transferred ownership of 114.49 acres to the Federal government. An additional fourteen acres were acquired the following year. Only twenty-five acres of this tract, however, were part of the original Lincoln farmstead. Once the boundaries of the memorial were established and transferred to the Federal government, the National Park Service considered several changes, many of which were never completed. Among the proposed alterations actually implemented were construction of a larger parking lot, paving of the walks that paralleled the allee as well as trails through the woods, and relocation of state highway 162, which extended between the allee and the Memorial Building. The Memorial Building was adapted for use as a visitor's center, which required enclosing the cloister and adding a wing to the south side of the structure. A maintenance area and employee housing were constructed to the west of the allee and an exhibit shelter was placed to the north. [233]

In 1968, a Living History Farm also was introduced to the interpretation program (Plate 9). This feature was representative of a nationwide effort undertaken by museum professionals who were dissatisfied with the static displays and dioramas that were found in most museums. Using "living history," museums sought ways to create a dynamic picture of a historic period. They trained interpreters in period customs, provided period dress and tools, and developed structures that were as historically accurate as was feasible. [234]

Plate 9: View of Living History Farm

The Living History Farm at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial was developed by the National Park Service under the direction of the agency's director, George B. Hartzog, Jr., who wanted to develop a series of farms in national parks. This effort was separate from the 1960s-era joint venture involving the National Park Service, Department of Agriculture, and Smithsonian Institution to establish a nationwide system of living history farms. The addition of this feature to the park was not without controversy, as some officials felt that the living history farm would distract from the visitor's experience of the rest of the memorial. In its original conception, the farm also would have had a deleterious effect on other aspects; the 1970 Interpretive Prospectus proposed removing the cabin site entirely and relocating the Trail of Twelve Stones. Neither of these measures, however, was implemented. [235]

The Living History Farm was constructed using historic agricultural buildings from throughout Indiana. Each building was disassembled and moved to the park for reconstruction. Once in place, the buildings functioned as an outdoor museum with guides dressed in period costumes and performing typical chores of a nineteenth century farm. The farm continues to perform its educational mission to the present day.