In the fall of 1841, Abraham Lincoln was thirty-two years old, and was just hitting his professional groove. He was emerging as a prominent attorney in Springfield, Illinois; he had argued his first case before the Illinois Supreme Court the previous June; and in August, voters from his district reelected him to his fourth term in the Illinois legislaturewhere he served as the Whig Party’s floor leader.
As his professional
In 2007, Daniel Arnold,
security grew, his mind
President of Friends of
was on his family. On
Abraham Lincoln
October 25, 1841, Lincoln
Historical Farm, LLC,
purchased a forty-acre
purchased four acres of
plot of land from his
the original “Lincoln’s
parents. It was a parcel
Farmland” – a swath of
from their 120-acre
land adjacent to the
“Goosenest Prairie” farm
eastern border of today’s
located in Coles County,
Lincoln Log Cabin State
Illinois, about one
Historic Site. Arnold
hundred miles east of
decided to purchase
Springfield. Legend has it
Lincoln’s land
“I purchased the farm in order to use it to help
that the area got its name
This was no financially
to preserve it for posterity
charities, to promote the
from an earlier settler who
savvy deal on Lincoln’s
and to promote the values
character virtues of
compared the fertile soil
part; rather it was an act
that made Lincoln great
to the richness of a good
of generosity towards his
and which remain at the
. generations, and to help
egg, exclaiming, “This is
parents who were
core of the United States.
promote tourism in the
struggling to make a go of
Arnold wanted to give the
State of Illinois, Arnold
it on the Illinois prairie.
land back to the American
explains. The land is
Although Lincoln never
public in memory of
the very goose-nest.”
lived on his parent’s Goosenest Prairie farm,
Abraham Lincoln to future
now owned and operated
Illinois’s most beloved
by Friends of The
president.
Abraham Lincoln
he visited a few times
Historical Farm, LLC. To
and, because his beloved
accomplish Arnold’s
stepmother lived there for
vision, that organization is
years after his father’s
recording common
death, he considered it in
undivided interests in the
many ways to be home.
land and has published a
Sarah lived on the land
book, making them both
until her death in 1869.
available to the public
Abraham Lincoln was never an aggressive real estate investor. He did buy and sell several plots of land, but not as a speculator intent on quickly turning an unjust profit in an expanding
As indicated previously, Lincoln never sold “Lincoln’s Farmland.” In
prairie town. In fact, many
order to provide for his
of his associates pointed
mother’s financial well-
out that he seemed
being, he kept the land
almost indifferent to the acquisition of wealth.
until his death; and legal title to the land did not
Lincoln’s first ventures in
pass to another person
land ownership began in
until 1888 when John J.
1836 when he received title to several lots in Huron, Illinois, as payment for survey work.
Hall acquired it. Now, after a sinewy 160-year history, “Lincoln’s Farmland” will now be
Lincoln would eventually
used in ways Lincoln and
go on to purchase
his ancestors would have
“Lincoln’s Farmland,” a
supported. Friends of the
forty-acre portion of his
Abraham Lincoln
parents 120-acre
Historical Farm now own
Goosenest Prairie farm in
and operates the almost
Coles County.
4-acre swath of land on the eastern boundary of the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, just off East County Road 030N in Lerna, Illinois.
In 2007, Mr. Daniel Arnold, founder and Managing Member of Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Historical Farm LLC, purchased four acres of the original 40-acre Lincoln Family Farm - a swath of land immediately adjacent to the eastern border of today's Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site. The land today remains in its pristine state just as it did when Abraham bought it from his father back in 1841.
After significant research, Arnold's desire to purchase Lincoln's land grew, as did his vision for preserving it. He wanted
To accomplish Arnold's vision, the organization is making available to the
to give it back to the
public worldwide deeds to
American people in
tenant-in-common life
remembrance of Illinois's beloved Abraham Lincoln. Arnold remarked, "I purchased the farm in order to use it to help charities, to promote the character virtues of Abraham Lincoln to future
estate undivided interests in the land along with a book detailing its amazing history. It is the organization's belief that this historic property should not belong to any one person, state or
generations, and to help
nation, but to all people
promote tourism in the
everywhere who along
state of Illinois." The land is now owned and protected by the Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Historical Farm.
with Abraham Lincoln love liberty unselfishly for all mankind.
“We recently acquired
Lincoln’s father, Thomas
property in Illinois that
Lincoln, originally bought
was once owned by Abraham Lincoln. We are offering deeds to small penny-sized pieces of the property. Each deed has
the property, and his stepmother and intellectual inspiration, Sarah Bush Lincoln, lived there till her death in
a unique serial number,
1869. Lincoln owned it
and is personalized with
from 1841 until his death.
date of purchase,
Today, the Friends of the
customer name, and state
Historical Farm now own
of residence. Each deed also comes with a map to
the property and are offering penny-size
the property, and a book
portions to the public. The
that we commissioned to
price is $99 for a basic
be written entitled “Lincoln’s Land: The History of Abraham Lincoln’s Coles County Farm.” Ninety percent of any profits we generate will go back to charity.
deed, with the majority of the money goes to charity. There’s also a book about the property included with the package, and the new digital publication entitled:
This is a very unique and
Lincoln Land Owner
tangible way for people to
Magazine, offers
connect themselves to
fascinating historical
our country’s greatest
facts, as well as a chance
president.”
for readers to easily make
– Dale Parsons
their purchase online.