Kind of a sad thing in this a few days before the 200th anniversary of his birth. Illinois may be the "Land of Lincoln" but Springfield is the "Home of Lincoln" and where the Illinois Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans hold their annual convention every April.
His home that he bought in 1844 for $1,200 is meticulously kept by the National Park Service, but the problem arises with the other 100 homes in the city that were around when Abe lived there. Last week, USA Today ran an article about these homes. The homes in the four square blocks around his house are also taken care of and being returned to look as they did back in the day.
But any that are not in this district are at risk. A few blocks away, Lincoln-era homes are boarded up, and others are dilapidated or have been so remodeled that they are beyond recognition.
THE LIST
The city of Springfield's Historic Sites Commission has a list of 100 Lincoln-era homes that are somewhat protected in that owners automatically face a 30 day wait that can be extended another thirty on any applications for demolition while a new owner is sought.
Most recently, the Maisenbacher House, built with a $650 loan from Abe found itself literally sitting out in the street when the city balked at additional money to build a new foundation. New owners Court and Karen Conn bought it in 2006 and would like to turn it into a B&B, but it had to moved for expansion of the Springfield Clinic. The city put up money for the move, expensive in itself, but rightfully refused to come up with what seemed to be an extravagant request for the foundation.
Today, it sits at its new site up on oak beams and gravel, awaiting something to happen.
Abe Slept Here, or, Maybe Not. --Coot
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