Special outing today to a place I have been meaning to go to for years—Lincoln’s summer cottage, which he and his family stayed in during his time as President. The cottage is located on the grounds of the Old Soldier’s Home (a home for veterans) and was made available for Lincoln’s use while he was president. At the time it was located a bit out in the country, on a hill overlooking Washington DC, where he could get away from the low-lying “swampy” air of the city. Now it’s the Petworth neighborhood of DC, but is still a secluded spot, fenced off for the veterans home and facilities.

The house is only accessible via a scheduled tour, and it was probably one of the most thoughtful tours I have ever taken.

Rather than focusing on architecture and furnishings of the home (there were only minimal items of furniture in the house), the tour guide and multimedia presentations focused on the conflict that Lincoln was facing during his time as President, most notably the American Civil War, and on the values of equality for all that he struggled to uphold during this time. It was in this house that Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, and a copy of it is there on display.

The tour guide did a great job connecting all of this History and making it relevant to our present day and lives as well.