Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, Kentucky is proud to be the birthplace and boyhood home of one of our Nation's greatest Presidents, Abraham Lincoln. We commemorate this great man's humble origins with the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, in Hodgenville, KY.

On July 17, 1916, this park site was donated to the American people and became part of the National Park Service, and so this year, we celebrate the centennial anniversary of this most historic and revered park being in the care of the American people.

At the center of the park stands the Memorial Building, constructed to commemorate the life and accomplishments of the 16th President of the United States. The Memorial Building--built before the iconic Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall here in the Nation's Capital--was the first Lincoln memorial built in America.

It was built by the American people, with over 100,000 citizens, young and old, both in the north and the south, donating sums as small as 25 cents. Fifty-six steps lead up to the building, representing the 56 years of Lincoln's life. The 16 windows symbolize Lincoln's status as the 16th President.

Inside the Memorial Building is the Symbolic Birth Cabin, a replica of the single-room log cabin Lincoln was born in on February 12, 1809. The original cabin that Lincoln was born in and lived in until age 2 was apparently dismantled sometime before 1865. The Symbolic Birth Cabin reminds us of the rural, hardscrabble life the future President faced on the Kentucky frontier, a life that would eventually take him to the Oval Office.

The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park also includes the Knob Creek site, the area where Lincoln lived from age 2 to the age of 7. Lincoln himself recalled that his earliest memories were of Knob Creek. Here, he helped his family with planting the garden, carrying water, and collecting wood for fires.

More than 200,000 people every year visit the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park in central Kentucky to see the origins of our leader and President. The park has received visitors from as far away as Mongolia, China, Russia, and Australia, among other places, who come to this tiny town to see proof that the ideals of America really are true, that even one born into the most modest means can rise to become a great nation's President.

I know my colleagues join me in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park. It is an important milestone to mark, both for Kentucky and our country, and the National Park Service will celebrate it later this month. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park is a lasting tribute to Abraham Lincoln and to how the Bluegrass State shaped and formed him.

For 100 years, the National Park Service has kept careful watch over this sacred ground. I want to congratulate and extend my gratitude to all those National Park Service employees and volunteers who have contributed to this important effort. Kentucky is proud of them, and we are proud to be the birthplace of America's 16th President. This park reminds us that one our Nation's greatest leaders emerged from the hills of the Kentucky countryside.

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