A major challenge for understanding historic homes is understanding the ways in which the homes have been modified for use over the years between their original construction and today. A trip to the library can offer you a variety of sources on the ways to identify the time periods of various parts of your house based on the method of construction of various parts of your home, the type of materials used, the size and shape of elements or the inclusion or exclusion of elements. This project is studying one of those elements that is present during a time period, but by the end of that era they have disappeared from houses. The search for information on these elements showcased just how strongly the Lincoln Home conforms to its Greek Revival style. The picture on the top left is the template for a Greek Revival; Home, the top right is an image of the Lincoln Home. All of the major elements of the Lincoln Home are present on the diagram, and the book that it is from notes that the entry may be present or not depending on the style of house. In the Midwest the book notes that the porch is often omitted. The book in question is A Field Guide to Early American Houses which studies the style of the nineteenth-century and makes use of those templates to find examples of home and how you can best identify them. The Lincoln Home is full of these elements, doors and their frames, two staircases, the windows and their layout, as well as the wood stoves and one open fireplace. These elements are all original to the time the Lincolns lived in the home and showcase the craftsmanship of Springfield artisans. But the Lincoln Home is an anomaly, it has been preserved from the time of Lincoln The other homes that share the space with the Lincoln Home are more likely examples of what books such as this are discussing. Used and reused, modified, moved, expanded and reoriented to fit the needs of each generation that used them. The National Park Service has studied the homes and worked over the years to restore them to an appearance that just maybe Lincoln would have recognized if he toured the neighborhood today.
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The Ranger SteveThough I'm no longer found underneath the Flat Hat of the NPS I still find myself identifying as Ranger Steve more often than not. Archives
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