Lincoln Home

Lincoln lived here with his family from 1844 until he left for Washington in 1861 — it's the only home he ever owned. Now a National Historic Site, the house is said to still be occupied by Mary Todd Lincoln's spirit.

The Lincoln Home at Eighth and Jackson Streets in Springfield served as Abraham Lincoln's family residence from 1844 until he departed for Washington in 1861. Self-taught lawyer Lincoln paid $1,500 for the Greek Revival cottage, considerably enlarged it over the years, and here three of his four children were born--including Edward, who died in the house at age four.

On February 11, 1861, the Lincolns left Springfield by train, never to return together. Today, the Lincoln Home is the centerpiece of a National Park Service historic site, restored to its 1860s appearance.

Many visitors report encounters with ghosts here, though the most commonly sensed presence isn't Abraham Lincoln--it's Mary Todd Lincoln, who lived her happiest adult years within these walls. Tourists describe hearing voices in empty rooms, the rustle of a period dress passing in the hallway, pockets of icy air in the parlor, and--most commonly--a rocking chair that moves gently back and forth on its own.

A Virginia attorney wrote to staff after his visit describing how he saw a woman standing in the parlor who abruptly vanished. He recognized her as Mary Lincoln from period photographs. In a 1998 interview, employee Shirlie Laughlin recounted rearranging furniture in Mary Todd Lincoln's bedroom when something kept touching her shoulder. "I kept looking around, but no one was there," she said. "I left that chair right where it was."

Some believe the ghost isn't a Lincoln at all, but Mrs. Lucian A. Tilton, who lived in the house during Abraham Lincoln's funeral. Worried about souvenir hunters, she watched helplessly as her lawn and gardens were stripped, paint scraped from the house, and bricks carried away from her retaining wall. The Tiltons moved out in 1869, but Mrs. Tilton's spirit allegedly never left, still seen cleaning and straightening the rooms she tried so desperately to protect.

A tall, thin figure accompanied by a small boy has also been spotted--perhaps Abe and little Edward reunited in the home where they once lived together.