Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is breaking in the spring season in preparation for National Park Week. Volunteers and staff are helping the Living Historical Farm live up to its name, planting a wide variety of heirloom crops to give the grounds a likeness to the landscape that once hosted the Lincolns.
Park Ranger Anthony Price, along with volunteers in period garb, have been making good use of the fair weather last week to get the farm in order. Using only those implements that would have been available to young Abe Lincoln and his family, the volunteers have tilled the earth and meticulously parceled out places for a number of heirloom crops.
While some of the varieties raised by the Lincolns are essentially extinct, some pioneer-era strains are still in service. The Living Historical Farm has sufficient seeds to yield a full crop of peas, beans, corn, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, zucchini, squash, potatoes and other mainstays that would have graced the kitchen of the Lincoln Cabin. An herb garden is also growing near the smokehouse on the farm. Much of the year’s crop will go toward feeding the livestock raised there, which include sheep, chickens, cows and horses.
Tourism at the memorial and farm have already been ticking up, with several school groups making a visit to the ornate memorial center, old Lincoln Homestead and the Living Historical Farm. The LBNM will welcome crowds for a number of activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for Safety, Health and Wellness Day. Police officers, firefighters, the U.S. Forest Service and Army Corps of Engineers will have booths set up throughout the memorial grounds to help visitors enjoy the day and learn about public servants in their community.
