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Show Down Memory Lane j BY JOHN J. CREEDON LINCOLN LORE February being the month of so many memorable dates, including Ground Hog Day, Valentine's Day and the birthday of two of our most famous presidents, it seems fitting that 1 take a week away from the history of Bingham and share with you my feelings while visiting some of the shrines dedicated to the memory of Abraham Lincoln. 1 have always been, a great admirer ad-mirer of Lincoln and read many books and articles about this humble hum-ble leader and savior of our Union. To read about events and the men connected with them is fine, but to visit the scene of history and walk along the pathway of the great is a thrill that is hard to describe. de-scribe. I am so grateful for the oppo'r-tunity oppo'r-tunity to visit with my family, many of the places associated with Lincoln Lin-coln and relive the past history of our great country. On one of our trips east a few years ago, we passed through the state of Kentucky and while en-route en-route to visit Mammoth Cave, we came upon a sign on the highway that said, "Abraham Lincoln National Na-tional Historical Park". We had never heard of it, so decided to take the side road and see what it was. Itlat tkrM mil- feet in diameter, dating back to 1791. Rail fences stand much as they did 100 years ago and we were reminded that Lincoln was adept at rail splitting in his youth. About 1 0 miles east of the park we came to Knob Creek and another- log cabin that the Lincoln family lived in for a few years and where he spent his early boyhood. In 1816 the family left Kentucky and moved to Indiana. We visited Springfield, Illinois on another trip and saw the home in Springfield that Lincoln left to go to Washington, never to return there alive. We visited the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, where the martyred preserver of our Union is buried. We visited Cettysberg in eastern Pennsylvania and again crossed the path of Lincoln. This national shrine is beautifully preserved and is a must for any lover of history to visit. The battlefields are much as they were 1 00 years ago and you could spend a month just visiting visit-ing and reading ell the monuments to the soldiers and states involved in the Civil War. The highlight of Cettysberg, was to stand on the spot where Lincoln gave his historical address. It was a feeling of great reverence and respect to stand on the exact ground and relive that great moment mom-ent in history. In front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, thete is a bronze plate depicting where Lincoln stood end talked and once more 1 was privileged to stand on that hallowed hallow-ed apot. And in Washington, the Lincoln Memorial stands out above all else in my memory. Here in this beautiful beau-tiful building sits a huge figure of Lincoln and wherever you are in that massive structure his eyes seem to follow you. There he sits, an imposing figure, surrounded by tablets of his Cettysberg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation and others. Men remove their hats and put away their cigarettes and everyone lowers their voices when they enter. en-ter. There is a feeling of deep reverence rev-erence and humility in being in the presence of a great man. On the way home we stopped at Mount Rushmore and again saw Lincoln carved out of solid granite in the mountain in South Dakota. These mementoes of Lincoln remind re-mind us how great is America and what we have to preserve. t' 1 l kths . A es south of Hod-genville, Hod-genville, Kentucky, Ken-tucky, lies this 160 acre park which encloses the area where Abraham Lincoln was born February Febru-ary 12, 1809. It was here that Thomas Lincoln, Mr. Creedon father of our 1 6th president, bought 300 acres in 1808 for $200, known as the Sinking Spring Farm, and where Abe was born and lived for two years. . The little log cabin of one room is enshrined inside a massive memorial mem-orial building of marble and granite. gran-ite. Here the little cabin is preserved preserv-ed and. protected from the elements. You- feel a sense of reverence standing stand-ing before the humble birthplace of a great man. You appreciate America more, knowing that from such a beginning, there emerged a man, who endeared himself to the people of all notions. In the park is the Sinking Spring that gave name to the farm and we walked down the stone steps where the water still runs. Nearby stands the white oak tree, some 22 |