Lincoln Family Home at Hildene: Vermont estate of Robert Lincoln marks another BTS presidential-adjacent visit!

Lincoln Family Home at Hildene, summer home of Robert and Mary Lincoln, a mere 8,000 square feet

Although the Lincoln Family Home at Hildene, located in Manchester, Vermont, does not qualify for our BTS list of presidential homes and/or libraries, it's about as "presidential-adjacent" as one can get and truly a worthwhile visit.

Hildene was built by Robert Lincoln who was not only the son of the 16th president, but served in the cabinet of both Presidents Garfield and Chester A. Arthur.  That's a fortified one-degree from POTUS. 

Robert Lincoln's library

The grand foyer

Hildene was built in 1905 as the summer home of Robert Lincoln - the only child of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd to survive into adulthood - and his wife, Mary Harlan Lincoln. They "downsized" from their former estate in Chicago to the mere 8,000 square-foot home of Hildene.

The bedroom of Robert Lincoln's wife, Mary. (and, yes, I would like to have a room like this).

The interior is impressive, and guests can view the family's spaces as well as the staff quarters. The former includes Robert Lincoln's library, the dining room, which houses the Minton china the Lincoln's purchased in the early 1880's, Mary's bedroom and the grand foyer. Throughout the home , family pictures and cherished belongings are on display. A special exhibit room showcases more historic artifacts with one of Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hats proudly on display.

Hildene dining room houses the Minton china purchased by the Lincoln family

Along with the Georgian revival home/mansion, there are several other areas on the now 412 acre estate to explore. Guests can visit the formal gardens and observatory, a Pullman car (Robert Lincoln was also, for a time, president of the Pullman Company), the visitors center, and, of course, the gift shop where I purchased a pack of "Historic Peony Seeds".  These seeds are propagated from the peonies originally planted by Jessie Lincoln, daughter of Robert and Mary Lincoln, as a gift to her mother. (We just planted these heirloom seeds at our tea garden at Pemberly Pines. We'll update next spring!)

Hildene heirloom peony seeds

From peonies given to Mary by her daughter

Historic addition to Pemberly Pines tea garden. We'll check back in the spring.

Another worthwhile spot to visit is a small brick-lined border in front of the Hildene home that outlines the size of the Kentucky cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born. It shows just how far the Lincoln family had come in only a generation.

Brick border in front of Hildene shows the size of the cabin where Abe Lincoln was born. 

As noted on the Lincoln Family Home at Hildene's website, Peggy Beckwith, Abraham Lincoln’s great-granddaughter was the last Lincoln descendant to live at the Vermont homestead. She left the estate to the Church of Christ, Scientist in accordance with her grandmother's wishes, but the Church soon realized they were not in a position to be the caretaker of this historic home.  They planned to sell Hildene to developers, but when local neighbors and community members learned of the Church's plans, they fought to save it, eventually winning right to purchase Hildene. The non-profit Friends of Hildene purchased the estate in 1978 and began the long process of restoring the home and formal garden.

Robert Lincoln's observatory

President Lincoln's stovepipe hat

We truly enjoyed touring Hildene and special thanks, to Pam B. (BTS team member/birthday twin) for recommending this historic estate visit as well as fav NY-er, Jenna, for her suggestion for another stop in the future. Jenna visited many times with family during the holiday season and says the lighted pathway to Hildene in November/December months adds a festive touch to the Lincoln homestead.

We're thinking, we may need to create another list: presidential-adjacent sites to visit (and revisit!). 😉