Last updated: June 8, 2024
Place
Nancy Hanks Lincoln Memorial
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Lincoln City, IN
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Memorial
Remembering a President lost, all that he stood for, and how he evolved into the man he became, residents of Spencer County, Indiana recognized that Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks had been a formative piece of Lincoln’s life. It was decided that a suitable memorial should be erected for Nancy.
From 1922 to 1938, the State of Indiana hired Olmsted Brothers to design a memorial site. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr ensured the landscape retained a strong North/South axis, allowing for processional and contemplative experiences. This axis would connect the gravesite of Nancy Hanks to a visitor center and open court.
Olmsted Jr. took the lead in developing a plan to simplify the area around Nancy Hanks’ gravesite, whose landscape had been through many design changes over the years. A cruciform arrangement combining a main allée with plant beds was established, providing a “strong spiritual imagery”.
Before briefly leaving, Olmsted Jr. proposed reforesting part of the site to provide a backdrop for the design. By 1983 Olmsted Jr. was called back to Spencer County, Indiana. The site needed a building facility and so Olmsted Jr proposed placing those buildings at the southern end of the allée.
Source: "Lincoln Boyhood: The Evolution of a Sanctified Space," National Park Service
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
From 1922 to 1938, the State of Indiana hired Olmsted Brothers to design a memorial site. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr ensured the landscape retained a strong North/South axis, allowing for processional and contemplative experiences. This axis would connect the gravesite of Nancy Hanks to a visitor center and open court.
Olmsted Jr. took the lead in developing a plan to simplify the area around Nancy Hanks’ gravesite, whose landscape had been through many design changes over the years. A cruciform arrangement combining a main allée with plant beds was established, providing a “strong spiritual imagery”.
Before briefly leaving, Olmsted Jr. proposed reforesting part of the site to provide a backdrop for the design. By 1983 Olmsted Jr. was called back to Spencer County, Indiana. The site needed a building facility and so Olmsted Jr proposed placing those buildings at the southern end of the allée.
Source: "Lincoln Boyhood: The Evolution of a Sanctified Space," National Park Service
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr