President's Day Special Part 3: Knob Creek, Kentucky boyhood of Abraham Lincoln (one of two faux Lincoln cabins!)

One of two "symbolic" log cabins of Abraham Lincoln in Kentucky.

There are two log cabins within ten miles of each other, constructed on properties where Abraham Lincoln was born and where he grew up, in Hodgenville, Kentucky. The only disclaimer - Lincoln never set foot in either one.  We visited the boyhood residence, and while it has a story, it doesn't quite match the tall tales of the birthplace cabin. 

Knob Creek Farm

Signs inform visitors of historic significance.

This month, we concluded our three president's homes, in three days, in three states at the humblest of them all, Knob Creek, Kentucky, the farm where Lincoln lived, from age two to eight, with his parents and older sister.  The family had possession of 30 of the 228 acres of Knob Creek and, with little disruption since, visitors can see the grounds pretty much as the Lincolns did over two hundred years ago.

Visitor Center and log cabin not currently opened.

Since we were at Knob Creek "pre season" neither the Visitor's Center nor the log cabin were open. Looking more like a roadside park than an historic landmark, the tale of the tiny cabin and its log-built doppelganger ten miles away, is almost more remarkable than the grounds.

The one room tiny home at Knob Creek, unlike its birthplace competitor, has always been presented as a cabin representative of what the Lincolns lived in. The logs came from the Gollaher's land, Lincoln's neighbors.

We were the only visitors on a sunny February afternoon. 

The log cabin at the Memorial building - the one we passed on this trip - was a bit more boastful and, at one time, did claim to be the actual home that our 16th President was born in.

As noted in "Not Even Past", this birthplace pretender began its wild ride in 1895 when entrepreneur Alfred Dennet constructed a cabin from logs sourced near the Sinking Spring Farm, the site where Lincoln was born. Dennet took the faux cabin on tour around the country but wasn't content with only one. Incredibly, Dennet added the "birthplace cabin" of Confederate President Jefferson Davis to the show - and, like Lincoln's humble abode - its authenticity wasn't challenged.

The logs from the cabin at Knob Creek came from the Gollahers, neighbors of Lincoln.

The dubious duo finally landed in Brooklyn's Coney Island, but due to inadequate packaging for shipping, the logs became mixed together. Undaunted, the parts were combined, creating a new attraction, the "Lincoln-Davis Birthplace Cabin". 

When it made its way back to Kentucky, it was sold as Lincoln's "original" birthplace cabin and was housed in the newly built memorial site in 1911. 

When the National Park Service took ownership of the landmark, they had the logs date-tested. That confirmed the cabin's non-authenticity. Lincoln was born in 1809, the logs were circa 1840.

It is now referred to as the "symbolic" Lincoln birthplace cabin.

Real or fake, Lincoln's early dwellings would have been very small, with a footprint measuring approximately 12' by 17'  - an average two car garage measures 20' x 20'.

Hildene, home of Robert Lincoln

Front of Hildene, bricks outline Lincoln cabin

We were reminded not only of the size of the Lincoln log cabins, but the contrast in family dwellings in just one generation when visiting Hildene last July. The Vermont home of Robert Lincoln, the only child of President Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln to live to adulthood, is an 8,000 square foot abode (a "downsize" retirement home). In a tribute to his father's humble beginnings, a frame of bricks, just outside the front entryway of Hildene, measures 12' by 17', another symbolic representation of Lincoln's birthplace.   

Real or really close -  the Lincoln cabins in Kentucky do give perspective. It was worth the stop, giving us a bit of more history and another check on our Presidential Homes list. 

🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡

Current count, we're up to eleven Presidential Homes/Libraries (that is our strict criteria; homes or libraries, other places of interests, e.g., where a President stayed or dined, doesn't count) for seven presidents. To date, we've been to the following:

1. Mount Vernon:  Washington 1968
2. Hyde Park, NY and the Little White House, GA:  FDR 2015, 2024
3. Hermitage, TN:  Jackson 2018
4. Gerald Ford Library, Grand Rapids, MI:  Ford, 2016
5. Taft Home, CN:  Taft 2015
6. McKinley Home and Library, Canton, OH:  McKinley 2018
7. Harding Home  and Library, Marion, OH 2024
8. Calvin Coolidge birthplace, Plymouth, Notch, VT  2024
9. Jimmy Carter, boyhood home, Plains, GA 2025
10. James K. Polk, home and museum, Columbia, TN 2025
11. Abraham Lincoln, site of boyhood home, Knob Creek, Hodgenville, KY 2025

President's Day Special Part 2: Home of James K. and Sarah Polk (and recipe for mint tea!)

The James K. Polk House in Columbia, Tennessee

 Although James K. Polk lived in several places in his lifetime, only his family home in Tennessee and, of course, the White House, remain. This month, we visited the former - the James K. Polk Home in Columbia. Built by Polk's father, Samuel, in 1816 while James was attending the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, the future 11th President of the United States lived there for only a short time. However, the museum showcases many of the belongings of both James and his wife, Sarah, including an impressive collection of their White House furniture and china. 

Portraits of Sarah and James that resemble the gifter.

The James K. Polk Home:

The house is handsome, but unpretentious - a two-story brick building with a detached kitchen (not an uncommon safety location of the time). The first floor has a parlor and dining room filled with White House gifts, dishes and family portraits.  Of the latter, there is a rather amusing set of paintings of James and Sarah from Andrew Jackson. We learned that all such gifts from President Jackson tended to look more like the 7th president than the subjects themselves.

The master bedroom has a unique feature.

Fireplace has an unusual location.

Another quirky feature of the home resides in the primary bedroom on the second floor. Samuel Polk's building skills, prior to the home in Columbia, were limited to log cabins and other less complex structures. Not familiar with the requirement for fireplaces to have their own chimney, he routed the bedroom fireplace to share a flue with a first-floor fireplace. Once made aware of the error, Polk's father had to realign the primary bedroom's fireplace to its own chimney. The result it a very off-centered mantel that juts out awkwardly in the otherwise well-appointed room. 

In the James K. Polk House kitchen, a separate building on the grounds.

James K. Polk: 

 

Polk, the oldest of ten children, was an excellent student, ambitious, disciplined and very serious. He found a complementary match with Sarah Childress, a well-educated young woman from a wealthy Tennessee family who, unlike James, was very gregarious and loved to entertain. They married in 1824 and the following year, James ran for, and was elected to, the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The dining room, set out for a dinner party.

Table is set with Polk family serving ware. 

         

Polk was a great supporter of Andrew Jackson (another Tennessean presidential home we visited in 2019, see blog story:  Nashville, Part II, The Hermitage).

 

A divided Democratic party in 1844 produced the nomination of Polk, the "Dark Horse" candidate. He won the presidential election by a slim margin, but by his choice, Polk set to serve one term with an agenda to accomplish.

The Museum Room displays White House china.

Vegetable dish used at the White House.

James and Sarah planned to retire and reside at Polk Place, their home in Nashville. Sadly, James died shortly after leaving the White House at the age of 53. 

The parlor on the first floor. Furnishings and other interior accents reflect Sarah's favorite color:  red. 

Though the Polks had no children together, after James died, Sarah adopted a great niece, Sarah Polk Jetton Fall. It was Fall, and her daughter, Saidee Fall Grant, who helped preserve the Polk legacy. It was Grant who organized the James K. Polk Memorial Association, and once Polk Place had been demolished, the Association took part in purchasing the James K. Polk Home and filling it with the remarkable possessions of James and Sarah.

The James K. Polk House and Visitors Center, Columbia, Tennessee

We truly enjoyed this visit to the James K. Polk House. While waiting for our tour guide - who was excellent -  we were instructed to spend some time in the Visitor's Center Museum Room which provides a timeline of Polk's life as well as more personal belongings. 

While there, we also picked up a few treasures in the neighboring gift shop, among them the book, "Provisions & Politics, Recipes Honoring First Lady Sarah Childress Polk".   

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

A few items we bought at the Visitor Center's gift shop, including, "Provisions & Politics" recipe book.

The hardcover cookbook, "Provisions and Politics" was first published by the James K. Polk Memorial Association in 2003, the 200th anniversary of Sarah Polk's birth. It's a collection of recipes from various sources to pay tribute to the First Lady. With their permission, I share "Claudia's Mint Tea".

Claudia's Mint Tea

• 10 tea bags, or 4 family-size  tea bags
• 2/3 cup (scant) sugar
• 1 cup lemonade mix (not sugar free)
• 10 springs (or more) of fresh mint
• 1 quart boiling water

Combine the tea bags, sugar, lemonade mix and mint in a heatproof pitcher. Add the boiling water.  Steep for 30 minutes. Strain the tea into a 1-gallon container.  Add enough cold water to fill the container. Pour over ice in glasses. For variety, add one 6-ounce can of pineapple juice. 

Chocolate and Tea Pairing at Chesterfield Township Library: A great way to spend a winter evening!

Librarian, Kalya B., with Barb G.& Pam B., BTS Chocolate and Tea at Chesterfield Twp. Library

What better way to spend a chilly February evening in Michigan than drinking hot tea paired with "top shelf" chocolate in a cozy library? 

Although a somewhat rhetorical question, we're comfortable with our answer:  if not the best, it ranks pretty high up. 

And, Barb's Tea Service, along with a room full of guests, did just that this week at Chesterfield Township Public Library. At the invitation of librarian, Kayla Barnish, BTS presented our "Chocolate and Tea Pairing" program. 

Due to the library's event space, seating was limited to twenty, but, despite the cold temps, all twenty attended!

Guests arriving and getting seated on a rather chilly February evening.

Our second time at the Chesterfield Library, Pam B. and I were excited to return to this special space, this time pairing up four different chocolates with four different teas.  A delightful bonus for those who call the mitten state home, all the chocolates came from premier Michigan chocolatiers.  In addition, all but one of the teas were local, too, including a BTS herbal.

Table set up includes, tasting guide, pen and note pad, teacups and chocolate.

Every guest received a chocolate tasting chart, tea and chocolate pairing guide, a plate of chocolate bites, a teacup and a BTS pen for taking notes. Also, as a Valentine's Day favor from BTS, everyone received a decorative paper cup with two additional chocolates to take home.

Guests preparing for chocolate /tea pairing.

Steeping first tea before everyone is seated.

                 

          

As guests sipped and sampled, we presented a history of tea and chocolate's journey around the world and the privileged folks who had early access. Fortunately, one no longer needs to live in a palace to enjoy the pleasures of a hot cup of tea paired with chocolate. But, we'll assert, it's great fun, and a privilege, to share such pairings in a very cozy library on a cold winter evening in Michigan.

Thanks to the Chesterfield Township Public Library & all the great guests who came to join us!

Let us present a tea and chocolate pairing for you! For more information on this deliciously fun event, contact us at barb@barbsteaservice.com.

President's Day Special! Three presidential homes in three days in three states: Part 1 Jimmy Carter/Plains, GA

Chris outside of Plains High School, now a museum.

 

In honor of President's Day, we're posting our latest Presidential Homes/Libraries trifecta. This month, en route from Florida back to our home in Michigan, we visited three presidential homes, in three different states in three days. We are now up to eleven such POTUS landmarks, with less than forty to fulfill our goal of setting foot in all. 

Large "tea mug" purchased at museum gift shop.

We first stopped in Plains, Georgia, home of Jimmy Carter, then on to Columbia, Tennesse to the James K. Polk Museum and, finally, to Hodgenville, Kentucky to see Knob Creek, early residence of Abraham Lincoln.

All three sites were, coincidentally, homes of the presidents when they boys or young adults, however, they displayed a range of original possessions from none at all to rooms filled with family treasures. 

We'll devote three separate blogs to each of these presidential sites, starting in order of our travels. First up, the 39th President, Jimmy Carter.

The home of Jimmy and Roslyn Carter - to open to the public later this year.

Jimmy Carter's home in Plains, GA.

Jimmy Carter's home in Plains, Georgia is a short car ride from the small town which once included brother Billy's working gas station and the public high school, now a museum. 

Billy Carter's gas station.

Billy's gas station, in Plains, no longer open.

As one who remembers not only Jimmy Carter's presidency and First Lady Rosalyn, but Billy Beer and Miss Lilian, Plains seemed comfortingly familiar. After a stop at the high school, which pays great homage to both Jimmy and Rosalyn - the latter was Valedictorian, class of 1944 - and a "supermarket sweep" tour of the gift shop (Jimmy Carter heavy duty tea mug, pewter peanut earrings), we drove through town in the direction of the childhood home and farm of the 39th President. On the way, we passed Billy's gas station as well as the former home of Jimmy and Rosalyn, set to be opened to the public later this year. (But, worth noting, the high school museum docent told us that the gardens will be available to visit later this spring).

Outside Jimmy Carter's boyhood home.

Carter's peanuts on display in museum

Once at the Carter farm, it's a quick walk from the parking lot to the home. However, there were no docents at this location - it was a self-guided tour, complete with descriptive placards in each room and optional recordings. 

Although, there are few original items of the Carter's, period pieces are used to represent what the family would have used. Jimmy Carter's father, Earl, moved the family here in 1928. He originally grew cotton, corn and peanuts, but switched to focus primarily on peanuts a decade later.

Bathroom small and rustic - but no complaints.

Outdoor facilities before indoor bathroom.

   

That was also the time electricity came to the Carter home - a much-welcomed addition along with indoor plumbing.  In the house bathroom, you can see the somewhat primitive shower set up, but, per the overhead recording, no one complained of the cold water or small space. Everyone appreciated having indoor facilities, a real improvement from the open-air alternative.

Dining room outside the kitchen, used for special guests.

The back of the home faces the railroad tracks. The train would thunder past in the early morning hours, waking any guests who weren't used to the bellowing sound. However, the sisters of Jimmy Carter who shared the back bedroom closest to the tracks were said to enjoy getting up every now and then to view the trains as they went by.

Back porch facing the nearby railroad tracks.

In addition to the farm, the Carter family also ran a store on the grounds. (I spotted a tea kettle, but not sure if that was part of typical merchandise sold there).

Carter farm and store. Reaching for a tea kettle, though, not original merch.

This presidential home was especially meaningful on the heels of Jimmy Carter's passing in December of last year, living until 100 years of age. He and his family saw - and accomplished - a lot in those many decades. It's worth a visit to see just how far that journey went from Plains to Washington and back home again.