What You Can Do
- Visit President Lincoln's Cottage at the Old Soldiers' Home.
- Learn more about this National Trust Historic Site.
11 Most Endangered
President Lincoln's Cottage
Year Listed: 2000
Location: Washington , District of Columbia
Current Status: Saved
Threat: Deterioration, Natural Forces, Neglect
President Lincoln's Cottage in 1863
Significance
Abraham Lincoln spent one quarter of his presidency at his summer residence, the Soldiers' Home, where he drafted the Emancipation Proclamation. The home, also known as Anderson Cottage, is located on the grounds of the 320-acre campus of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, just north of Washington, D.C. This national treasure lacked the financial resources for a much-needed restoration that would bring it to the forefront of America's historical consciousness. This Gothic Revival cottage suffered from the effects of time, use, and stress. Over the years, it has been transformed from a country cottage to a soldiers' home, to a heavily used office building. Due to a shrinking financial base for upkeep, only the most basic repairs had been made to the cottage. Seeping water in the basement, rotting wood windows, and antiquated electrical and plumbing systems were among the most urgent needs. Leaking radiator pipes in the 100-year-old heating system were damaging floors and interior woodwork that date to Lincoln's time.
Updates
In 2000, Lincoln’s Summer White House was deteriorating and in urgent need of preservation. In partnership with the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and thanks to generous public and private financial support, the National Trust for Historic Preservation was able to restore the National Historic Landmark as the premier historic site for public education about Lincoln’s presidency. The exterior restoration was completed in April 2005. The site’s grand opening took place in February 2008. Learn more about President Lincoln's Cottage.
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