Hodgenville and LaRue County are known for its warmth and hospitality and its rural setting. The citizens take pride in the county's role as the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States.

 

LaRue County is the site of one of the oldest settlements in Kentucky and home to the second oldest Baptist church west of the Alleghenies. In 1780, a group of pioneers led by Pennsylvania explorer and surveyor Philip Phillips ventured into what is now LaRue County, and established Phillip's Fort along the Nolin River.  The fort served to protect a mill on the river built by Robert Hodgen in 1788.  Among Hodgen's early customers were Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln, parents of the future president. In 1818, Hodgen's widow, Sarah, petitioned the courts to establish a town near the area of the mill, to be called Hodgenville. The town officially incorporated as a city in 1839, and became the county seat of LaRue County when it was set off from nearby Hardin County in 1843. 

 

Towards the end of the 19th century, national attention focused on Hodgenville as the place of Lincoln's birth. The Lincoln Farm Association, composed of such noted people as Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), Robert Collier, and William Howard Taft, purchased Lincoln's birthplace in 1906 "for the purpose of honoring and perpetuating the memory of Abraham Lincoln." The group eventually raised $350,000 to build an appropriate memorial to our nation's 16th President, which stands today on the Sinking Spring Farm as a testament to their respect for Lincoln.

 

In 1909, during the centennial of his birth, local, state and national leaders raised funds to place a larger than life statue by Adolph A. Weinman on the city square.  Since then two national historic sites remembering Lincoln have been added to the National Park Service, a museum was built, and the city and county together host an annual celebration in Mr. Lincoln's honor. Now, almost 100 years after the statue was dedicated, it remains a symbol of the town's pride in its most famous native son, and is a popular spot for souvenir photos. 

 

Today LaRue County is home to over 13,000 residents that take great pride in our most famous son. LaRue County celebrates Lincoln Days, the second weekend of October, which brings thousands of visitors to our community. The festival is noted for its annual Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln Look-Alike contests, Little Abe and Sarah costume contest, railsplitting competitions, parade, pioneer games, arts, crafts, festival foods, antique tractor and engine show, classic cars, musical entertainment, clogging, and other activities. 

 

LaRue County boasts an outstanding school system, with three area elementary schools, one intermediate school (5-6 grades), one middle school (7-8 grades) and one high school. In addition to a range of school athletic programs, there are active youth soccer, baseball, football and softball programs in the area. Our LaRue County Park provides swimming and tennis facilities, along with fields for youth baseball, softball and soccer games. The LaRue County Golf Course, situated conveniently between the Hodgenville and Buffalo communities, features 18 holes. Just one block away from historic downtown Hodgenville is Creekfront Park, a city-owned facility with walking trails that are handicapped accessible. Area streams, lakes and ponds provide prime bass and crappie fishing, and hunting for deer, wild turkey, doves, squirrels or rabbit are popular sports.

 

Lincoln spent almost the first eleven years of his life here. It was here that he buried his baby brother, first learned to read and write, and fell into the Knob Creek on Sunday while playing with his best friend, Austin Gollaher.  It was also here that Lincoln was first influenced by the abolitionist movement and first encountered the horrors of the slave trade as he witnessed slaves being transported along the road in front of his home.  It was his early experiences here that would help to mold him into the great man he would become. 

 

We invite everyone to come to Hodgenville and LaRue County, once you meet the people and experience the beauty of our communities you will understand why later in life, President Lincoln would characterize Hodgenville as the place he would most like to visit.