Lincoln, the Civil War, and New England

What does New England have to do with President Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, besides a town and a college named after the President, you might ask? Most towns have a memorial with the numerous soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Very important stuff. But there are additional ties that aren’t as obvious which might be of interest to you.

Springfield MA
According to Wikipedia, President Lincoln’s birthplace, Springfield, IL, was named after Springfield MA. “the town renamed itself Springfield after Springfield, Massachusetts. At that time, Springfield, Massachusetts was comparable to modern-day Silicon Valley—known for industrial innovation, concentrated prosperity, and the celebrated Springfield Armory. Most importantly, it was a city that had built itself up from frontier outpost to national power through ingenuity – an example that the newly named Springfield, Illinois, sought to emulate.“
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield,_Illinois

Hildene, Manchester VT

Hildene was the country home of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. Robert was their only child that survived to adulthood. Maybe Robert chose Manchester, VT as his summer home because of the summers he spent as a child at the Equinox Hotel with his mother during the summers of 1863 and ’64. His father was never able to accompany them.

Hildene was the country home of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. Robert was their only child that survived to adulthood. Purchase this in my online gallery.

Notated as the ‘Lincoln Family Home,’ Hildene was built in 1905 and was home to Lincoln descendants until 1975 and is now open to the public. Although Abe had never been there, his spirit is tied to the location through the presence of one of his three surviving stove pipe hats, along with other family memorabilia. Jeff and I visited here several years ago and it is a beautiful estate. I especially enjoyed the very friendly goats they are raising at the barn to make their own cheese.

Hildene is Open Daily, 9:30 to 4:30 for tours and is located at 1005 Hildene Road, Manchester, Vermont.
802.362.1788
http://www.hildene.org/

Forbes House Museum, Milton MA
The Forbes House was designed in 1833 for Margaret Perkins Forbes as a seasonal home. Four generations of the Forbes family resided there. The last Forbes to reside there permanently was Mary Bowditch Forbes. She was a collector of President Lincoln and Civil War memorabilia, which are now part of the Museum’s permanent collection. As stated on the website, “The collection includes a campaign banner from 1860, which was used at a rally in Dorchester, Massachusetts, for then candidate Lincoln (Abe Lincoln visited and stayed overnight at a house not far from the FHM).” A replica of a log cabin like Lincoln’s birthplace was built on the grounds of the estate. The estate was converted into a museum in 1964.

The Museum offers guided tours on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 1 and 3pm. Reservations are strongly suggested. The Forbes Estate is located at 215 Adams Street, Milton, Massachusetts.
(617) 696-1815
http://www.forbeshousemuseum.org/index.html

St Albans Raid, St Albans VT
The Northern most battle of the Civil War occurred in St. Albans, Vermont. Most people are unaware of this fact unless you are an avid Civil War buff. Confederate soldiers came down to Vermont through Canada and robbed the banks in this northern border town, killing one and wounding another. Townspeople fired upon the raiders and killed one of them. There is an excellent blog post written by Mike Dunphy here, http://www.onenewengland.com/article.php?id=374, which gives the details of the events surrounding this skirmish.

If you visit St. Albans and want to learn more, the St. Albans Historical Society has exhibits and information. They are currently closed for the season but will reopen in the spring. The society is located at 9 Church Street, St. Albans, Vermont
(802) 527-7933
http://stamuseum.org/

View of Saint Albans in mid-October. Right on the edge of Lake Champlain Purchase in my online gallery.

Lincoln Financial Sculpture Walk at Riverfront, Hartford CT
Unveiled in 2008, the Lincoln Financial Sculpture Walk at Riverfront is a permanent public exhibition of 16 sculptures along the Connecticut River in Hartford and East Hartford. The sculptures were commissioned to “represent the life, values and accomplishments” of Abraham Lincoln. It is recommended to wear walking shoes to view all the statues as they are not close together. Kim Knox Beckius has photographs of most of the sculptures here: http://gonewengland.about.com/od/hartfordattractions/ig/Lincoln-Sculpture-Walk/

Lincoln Campaign Literature and Portraits at Brown University, Providence RI
Lincoln made three visits to Rhode Island, and the John Hay Library on the campus of Brown University houses an impressive collection of 30,000+ original materials by and about Abraham Lincoln. Although the materials may not be readily available for public viewing, there are occasional exhibits of some of the collection. Also, the collection is available online at Lincolniana at Brown: http://library.brown.edu/cds/lincoln/

Brown University John Hay Library is open to the public, but you may want to contact them about viewing any of the collection. (401) 863-2165

Lincoln Literature and Artifacts at New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord NH
After delivering his antislavery speech, the Cooper Union speech, in 1860, Lincoln set out on a 12 day speaking tour of New England. The President delivered speeches in Concord, Manchester, Dover and Exeter, New Hampshire, and visited his son, Robert, attending Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH. (other New England stops were in Connecticut and Rhode Island)

The New Hampshire Historical Society Library houses a collection of Abraham Lincoln documents, photographs and objects. Among the items is a fragment of the coat Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated. According to the website, it was saved by Dr. Ezra W. Abbott of Concord, NH who “was one of the half-dozen men who carried the wounded president from Ford’s Theatre. He preserved a section of the sleeve from Lincoln’s coat, cut away in search of the fatal bullet wound.” The collection does not appear to be a permanent exhibit and was on display in 2009. The collection can be searched at http://nhhistory.pastperfect-online.com/

The society’s library is located at 30 Park St, Concord, New Hampshire.
603-228-6688
http://www.nhhistory.org/library.html

New England Civil War Museum, Rockville CT
This museum is dedicated to the Civil War soldiers of Connecticut. Uniquely, the museum was first established by Civil War veterans in 1896 as a library. It has evolved into a museum with several thousand documents, book, and images related to the Civil War in Connecticut and New England.

The Museum is open every other Sunday from 12 PM-8 PM and is located at 14 Park Place, Rockville, Connecticut. This link provides dates they are open-
http://www.newenglandcivilwarmuseum.com/

Fort Warren, Boston MA
Construction of the fort on Georges Island in Boston Harbor was completed right after the Civil War began. The fort was used during the war for Southern Confederate prisoners and Northern political prisoners. The fort was decommissioned and opened to the public in 1961. It is now part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area and reachable by ferry between May and October. For more on the history of the fort, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Warren_(Massachusetts)

Jeff Foliage Folger

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