Lincoln, Taylor and Taft

 Friday, May 9, 2025

Stayed the night in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, South of Louisville and close to Lincoln's birthplace, etc.  Abraham Lincoln was born in Sinking Springs Farm.   Roosevelt and Taft built a major monument to him there.   There is a symbolic log cabin inside the monument.   The visitor's center doesn't have a lot of original Lincoln stuff, but the family Bible is in a glass case, humidity controlled.  The video says he was not as hardscrabble as believed, at least not at first.   His father was at least middle class, until he lost two homes to fights over the titles.   That is what drove dad to move the family out of Kentucky.   An interesting map shows that the Lincolns started in Massachusetts and they moved to another state every generation.   Lincoln was the first president NOT born in one of the original 13 colonies.   

                                                            This artwork is from pennies.
The monument has 56 steps, one for each year of Lincoln's life.   I watch two little barefoot girls scampering, at top volume, up the steps, until I heard Mom say "Why didn't you tell me when we were still down there?" before they headed back down!    

There is a spring on the property, which is what makes the farm so desirable.   

From there, I drove a bit to Knob Creek Farm, Lincoln's boyhood home.   The visitor's center had very little original stuff, but many exhibits are kid-friendly, interactive displays.   As I was looking for my fridge magnet, the young ranger agreed that it was hard to find (it was in plain sight), but her Kentucky drawl was sooo precious, I kept up a conversation for some time.  I discussed with her and the older ranger that I was seeing lots of Junior Ranger merchandize in all national park centers, and he said it was quite popular, then he gave me my own junior ranger badge!   I was advised to turn right and head back to town, as I would have no internet for several miles.

In Louisville I stopped at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.  the president is entombed in the back part.   A short drive and I found his boyhood home in an upper-middle class neighborhood.   The house is occupied, so I only took pictures.   

My gripe about GPS is that I have no idea where I am, in relation to the rest of the state, or even country.  This was quite obvious as I drove between Louisville, Ky, on the Ohio River, and crossed into Cincinnati, Ohio, also on same river, but  Cincinnati is 90 minutes Northeast of Louisville, and I didn't see the river, until I crossed it.

In Cincinnati I visited the home of William Howard Taft, president between T Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.   Taft only held one elected position before becoming president, but was a judge, Secretary of War, and the Governor General of the Philippines.   He strived to give the Philippine people more say in their own government.   Roosevelt thought he would follow Roosevelt's path, but Taft had his own ideas, so Roosevelt ran against him as a third party candidate, splitting the Republican vote and putting Wilson in office.    After the presidency, Taft was one of the three most active ex-presidents, becoming a law professor and then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.   It was he who got the court their own building.  Taft's family has been very active.   Son Robert was in the Senate for many years. 

I stopped for the night in Grove City, South of Columbus, Ohio.   Had a nice dinner in a Chinese restaurant.   I really enjoyed the display in the lobby!   Both sons went to fine colleges and played golf!