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The memorial that would eventually become the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park was established in 1909 by the Lincoln Farm Association, with the laying of the cornerstone by President Theodore Roosevelt. The building was completed in 1911, and dedicated on November 9th by President William Taft. The memorial was formally made a national park in 1916.
The memorial was built on farm land owned by Lincoln’s family, and where Lincoln was raised until the age of 2. Within the memorial resides a cabin of similar size and design to the Lincoln cabin built on the site, not the original cabin itself. And exactly 54 steps, the age at which Lincoln died, lead up to the memorial.
In November 2001, the park was expanded to include Knob Creek, the site where Lincoln lived from age 2 to age 7. The site contains a 19th century log cabin, and a historic 20th century tavern, and is approximately 10 miles to the northeast on Highway 31E.
The main memorial was built in the Beaux-Arts neo-classical architectural style.
Written (and pictured) near the top of the memorial are the words “With Malice Toward None With Charity For All. They are words from Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address in 1865.
