LINCOLN LAND OWNER MAGAZINE :: Owners Edition

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.