Lincoln Childhood Sites

We made our way east and landed back in Kentucky.  Last time we were here we missed the Lincoln Childhood sites so we made a point to visit this time.

In December, 1808 Thomas Lincoln paid $200 cash for the 300 acre Sinking Spring Farm.  The young family moved there from nearby Elizabethtown shortly before Abraham was born.  The spring made the land a good home site, but stony, clay soil made farming difficult.

Abraham Lincoln was the first president born west of the Appalachian Mountains.  His birth in a log cabin at Sinking Spring Farm took place on February 12, 1809 when that part of Kentucky was still a rugged frontier.  

We went inside the visitor's center and viewed some amazing artifacts.

This is very, very cool

Being a family researcher, I found this very interesting - Abraham Lincoln's family tree.  After the first Lincolns settled in Massachusetts, not one generation was born and died in the same place.  Abraham Lincoln, the seventh generation of his family in America, would become the first President born outside of the thirteen original states.

His parents.

Thomas Lincoln, 1778-1851

Nancy (Hanks) Lincoln, 1784-1818

The Lincoln Family.

Nancy holding Abraham, Thomas, Sarah

Unfortunately, the original log cabin where Lincoln was born is believed to no longer be in existence.  However, after the Sinking Spring Farm was purchased for $3,600 in 1906, the first Lincoln Memorial was erected between 1909 and 1911 atop the knoll where legend (and some deeds with Thomas Lincoln's name) lead experts to believe Abraham Lincoln was born.  The now largely forgotten monument was once national news.   More than 100,000 people - many of them school children - gave an average of 31 cents each to create the memorial.

President Theodore Roosevelt laid the memorial cornerstone on February 12, 1909, the 100 year anniversary of Lincoln's birth and President William Howard Taft dedicated the building in 1911.  President Woodrow Wilson accepted the site as a national park in 1916, President Franklin Roosevelt visited in 1936 and President Dwight Eisenhower visited in 1954.  So many presidents have walked these grounds in honor of the former president.

Memorial Cornerstone

Back to the cabin.  There is a cabin displayed inside the interior but we learned how it came to be.

This cabin was constructed in 1895 from logs found in a log cabin near the sinking spring where records suggest Lincoln was born.  In 1897, the fabricated cabin was toured around the country, where it was matched with another birthplace cabin - that of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.  As the caravan of cabins continued around the United States, it finally landed on Coney Island.  There, due to poor organization while shipping, parts of each cabin became mixed so they were simply joined together creating a single Lincoln-Davis Birthplace Cabin.  According to James W. Loewen, author of Lies across America, when this cabin, now combining logs from the separate counterfeit cabins of the enemies of the Civil War, was sent back to Kentucky in 1906, it was represented as Lincoln's "original" birthplace cabin.  The National Park Service does acknowledge that the cabin is not original, rather "symbolic", but it is largely silent on the actual origins of the cabin.  We were fortunate to have a representative inside the memorial who was anxious to tell the story.  He also shared with us that experts dated the wood and found that it was from the mid 19th century so clearly could not be the original wood of either cabin.

Imagine the daily life for a family of four living within the walls of this small space.  

Although Lincoln only lived on the Sinking Spring Farm for the first two years of his life, the legacy of traveling from a log cabin to the White House exemplifies the American experience.

The farm's name came from a spring on the property which emerged from a deep cave which is still visible today.

When Abraham Lincoln was two and a half, his father moved the young family ten miles away to a farm on Knob Creek where the family lived from 1811 until 1816.  So we continued our journey there.

Cabin reproduction

While Knob Creek Farm has generally maintained its rural landscape, the site has transformed from a tourist destination to a historical landmark.  The Howard family realized the need to preserve a part of Lincoln's childhood that lacked substantial information.  In 2001, the local community bought and then donated the Knob Creek Farm to the National Park Service.  It is because of these efforts that visitors can still walk the same ground that Abraham did as a child in Kentucky.

What was once a tavern is now the Visitor's Center.

There were some interesting artifacts - the most interesting was the stone found with the initials "TL" carved on it.  

Analysis of the letters carved into the stone match exactly with other letters in cabinetry of Abraham Lincoln's father, Thomas.  The evidence points to Thomas Lincoln carving these initials on Abraham's little brother's gravestone.  Tommy Lincoln was originally buried in the Redmon family cemetery on a knoll overlooking the Lincoln's farm in Kentucky.  

Wow, it had been a long day so, of course, lunch was in order.  As I typically do, I asked for a lunch recommendation and it was suggested that we try Sherwood Inn in New Haven, about 6 miles farther down the road.

Oh boy, I love historic places like this!  The brick two-story Inn is one of the few buildings left in New Haven that has any historical integrity; only nine buildings built from 1880-1940 remained in New Haven by 1978.  A private residence for the hotel's owners is in the rear of the ground floor; the kitchen was for use to feed guests and the owners.  In the bar room there is a massive oak and mahogany back-bar and counter that was originally used in Louisville's old Greenstreet Saloon.

The inn replaced the previous Johnson Hotel/Sherwood Hotel, which burned down in 1913 and placed on the same property, next to where the major road crossed the train track.  The heyday of the hotel was from when it was built in 1914 to 1932, at the height of the Great Depression.  It was placed on the National Register on March 26, 1992.

This is not something you see every day.

I hate to post photos of meals but man, this Honey Chipotle Chicken sandwich might just be the best sandwich I've ever had.  All that, including fries, for $10!

I couldn't wait to take a bite

I'm so glad we were able to see these sites!

Santa Fe - Museum and Dinner

I am not really an art museum kind of gal, but after walking by the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum a gazillion times over the years, we decided to make it part of our day in Santa Fe for Ron's birthday.

Although it wasn't terribly crowded, we were happy we'd made a reservation so we could be sure we'd be able to visit without a wait.

Georgia O'Keeffe is one of the most significant artists of the 20th century, known for her contribution to modern art.  She was the second of seven children and was born on November 15, 1887.  She grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and by the time she graduated from high school in 1905, she had determined that she would make her way as an artist.  

By the mid 1920s, O'Keeffe was recognized as one of America's most important and successful artists, known for her paintings of New York skyscrapers, as well as her equally radical depictions of flowers.  In 1929, she made the first of many trips to northern New Mexico.  The stark landscape and Native American and Hispanic cultures of the region inspired a new direction in her art.  For the next two decades she spent most summers living and working in New Mexico.  In 1949, after her husband's death, she made New Mexico her permanent home.

Georgia O'Keeffe

1887-1986

In 1922, Georgia O'Keeffe stated "I paint what interests me and what I see".  So here's a few examples of what she saw.  (Disclaimer:  It is very difficult to take photos of items hanging on a wall.)

In 1924, Georgia married Alfred Stieglitz, who was more than 20 years her senior, after having an affair with him for several years.  In 1925, they took up residence in the Shelton Hotel, a thirty-two story residential hotel that would remain their New York City address for more than a decade.  Like the Shelton, the nearby forty-two-story Ritz Tower was a residential hotel - the tallest in New York at the time of its opening in 1927.  As O'Keeffe later recalled, the male artists in her husband's circle resisted the idea that she, too, might paint the modern city.  "The men decided they didn't want me to paint New York....They told me to 'leave New York to the men.'  I was furious."  In all, O'Keeffe would execute only a handful of paintings of skyscrapers.

Ritz Tower, 1928

O'Keeffe painted this plant, a deadly nightshade known as bella donna, while she was in Hawaii.  Due to its white, trumpet-shaped flowers, bella donna looks similar to its cousin the jimson weed, a plant O'Keeffe had painted in New Mexico. 

O'Keeffe first painted clouds as seen from above in the early 1960s.  As she recalled,  this series originate with her own bird's-eye view:  

"One day when I was flying back to New Mexico, the sky below was a most beautiful solid white.  It looked so secure that I thought I could walk right out onto it to the horizon if the door opened.  The sky beyond was a light clear blue.  It was so wonderful that I couldn't wait to be home to paint it....The next time I flew, the sky below was completely full of little oval white clouds, all more or less alike."

Above the Clouds I

1962-1963

Oil on canvas

Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico

Out of Marie's II, 1930

Oil on canvas mounted board

This painting was inspired by a rafting trip down the Colorado River that O'Keeffe took with her friends, photographers Eliot Porter and Todd Webb, in 1961.  Work was already underway on the Glen Canyon Dam, which would flood the area to create Lake Powell, and Porter and Webb sought to document this natural canyon before its red sandstone walls were submerged.

On the River I Canyon Country III, c. 1965

Oil on canvas

In 1971, O'Keeffe was diagnosed with macular degeneration, an irreversible condition that caused the loss of her central vision.  This work, completed the following year, is believed to be O'Keeffe's last oil painting executed without the help of an assistant.  Echoing the painting's composition of contrasting horizontal bands, it is titled "The Beyond".  The poetry and drama of the scene depicted is achieved in part by O'Keeffe's use of color, in this case contained to blues, blacks, and whites, which evoke a late evening view with a sense of mystery.

The Beyond, 1972

Oil on canvas

After leaving Santa Fe, we headed north to one of our favorite restaurants, Rancho De Chimayo.  It's a little out of the way but definitely a spot to remember.  It is surrounded by three mountain ranges and combines traditional Mexican cuisine with family recipes.

In 1965, Arturo and Florence Jaramillo envisioned a plan for a house built by their ancestors and the Restaurante Racho de Chimayo was born.  Their restaurant preserved the rich traditions of their family and its proud culture, welcoming guests into the comfortable and romantic piece of history.  Family photographs hang on the adobe walls and the lovely terraced patio provides exquisite outdoor dining.

In 1984, the Jaramillo family completed restoration of Hacienda Rancho de Chimayo and the home was renovated into seven guest rooms.  Each room opens onto an enclosed courtyard and within each room are turn of the century antiques, a private bath, and a quiet sitting area and fireplace.  (Note to self - stay overnight next time).

In 2008, a fire damaged the kitchen and other areas.  After more than a year, the restaurant was restored and upgraded, preserving the original adobe walls, structure and many of it's authentic features.

We had a great table on the patio.

First order of business was ordering their famous family recipe, Chimayo Cocktail.  

Mmm, mmm, good.

Rancho de Chimayo was honored as one of New Mexico's Culinary Treasures in 2014, and is one of only a handful of restaurants awarded the distinction.  Restaurants are celebrated that have stood the test of time, independent spots that have become beloved in their neighborhoods.  Many of these are operated by the founding family or by someone handpicked by the founders to carry on their legacy.  In all cases they are still family-owned and operated.

The lady at the next table offered to take our photo.

Happy birthday, Ron!

A great day in our favorite part of the country.

New Mexico - Turquoise Museum

We've been out of the tourist mode for a few months as we spent time in Camp Verde, Arizona, which is about 25 minutes from Sedona.  We spent the time tending to "maintenance" duties (truck, trailer, and even ourselves) and taking a few days to celebrate the wedding of my beautiful niece.  We loved the RV park but after 2 months it was time to move on.  So we headed east with our first stop in Albuquerque.

We had a free day so I googled "what to do in Albuquerque" and a list of "normal" things came up.  But something caught my eye so we headed here.

The Turquoise Museum is a family business - the most recent generation is the 5th generation.  

We arrived 1/2 hour earlier than our scheduled tour and were lucky to be able to join the large group of two other visitors :-)  We were escorted to the museum by 4th generation Joe Dan Lowry so that we could watch an informative movie about the museum.

What a beautiful building!  The castle used to be the home of Gertrude Zachary, who was briefly married to Richard Zachary, one of the family members.  

The first thing you see when entering the castle is the turquoise chandelier.  Joe Dan (4th generation) commissioned the turquoise chandelier to be built by Marianne Friedrich in 2018.  It has over 21,500 natural Sleeping Beauty turquoise beads and many thousands of Swarovski beads.  Marianne worked 6 and 7 days a week for 3 months to complete the project.  It has 94 strands and the longest strands are 32 feet.  A photograph of it was first published in the Japanese magazine Lightning in February, 2019.

And then we walked farther into the castle and saw so many beautiful items.

We, along with the other two visitors, were the only people in the museum so we were very fortunate to be able to spend time with 5th generation Jacob Lowry.

Jacob started learning how to cut turquoise when he was 9 years old and has traveled New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada turquoise mining areas.  He began giving lectures about turquoise when he was 12 years old and has been attending the Tucson Gem and Mineral show since he was 18.  What a wealth of information and we tried to absorb his knowledge.

This is the George Washington Stone - see the resemblance of George Washington from the quarter?  Use your imagination.

This piece is the most memorable to me - and, perhaps, the most valuable.

Number Eight (Black Web)

Nevada

Allison Lee

Jacob explained that the stones are sold wholesale for about $5,000 per carat.  See the smallest stones at the bottom of the horseshoe shape?  Those are about 1.5 carats - the entire necklace has enough weight to be worth about $500,000!  Hope they have a good alarm system.

This piece is exquisite.

LaTurquesa, Nacozari

Mexico

DavidMaria Art

I love this one!

Horse Necklace

24 strands of beads

5 pounds of turquoise

It was not uncommon for heavy equipment operators at large open pit copper and gold mines to uncover a small turquoise deposit.  It is rumored that they might fill the day's empty lunch box with some of the turquoise to sneak out and sell.  Hundreds of pounds of turquoise from the Bisbee, Morenci, Nacozari and other copper mining areas has been brought to market in lunch boxes.

Ron particularly likes Royston from Nevada, which is mined in the Tonopah area and the reason we visited there last fall (click to read about our visit).

So many beautiful things to see.

We had a wonderful day and learned so much about turquoise.  We were so happy we found this gem! (see how I did that?)