Hype for the Future 100L: Lincoln County, Kentucky

Introduction

Along with Jefferson and Fayette Counties, Lincoln County represents one of the original three (3) counties associated with early Kentucky. Originally spanning much of the Cumberland Plateau and eastern Pennyroyal (Pennyrile) regions of the Commonwealth, the county today uses the home-rule class City of Stanford as the county seat, though the population of the community may be smaller than four thousand residents on the regular.

Attractions

Even within Lincoln County, historical significance for the Commonwealth of a Kentucky as a whole is relatively obscure. The hidden gems of the Commonwealth of Kentucky include the Cities of Stanford and Crab Orchard, both located today along Route 150. Stanford is to the west, and Crab Orchard is to the east; however, the historical significance of the county is largely determined by both communities.

Stanford and Crab Orchard

Within the City of Stanford, iconic attractions include the Stanford Inn at Wilderness Road, the Historic L&N Depot and Museum, and the Logan’s Fort Foundation. Further east, the City of Crab Orchard is home to the Confederate Monument at Crab Orchard as well as the Crab Orchard Veterans Memorial, without a significant number of tourist attractions.

Hype for the Future 86L: Lincoln, Lyon, and Yellow Medicine Counties

Introduction

The three most Icelandic counties in the State of Minnesota, known as Lincoln, Lyon, and Yellow Medicine Counties, are each located south of the Minnesota River and along or relatively nearby to the South Dakota state line. The county seats are Ivanhoe in Lincoln County, Marshall in Lyon County, and Granite Falls in Yellow Medicine County.

Attractions — Lyon County

Within Lyon County, Marshall serves as the county seat and is home to the Whitney Statue and the Lyon County Museum. Tracy, located further southeast, is notable for the Cinnamon Hen and the Wheels Across the Prairie Museum.

Attractions — Lincoln County

While the community of Ivanhoe serves as the county seat and is the smallest county seat in the State of Minnesota, Lincoln County is also home to the community of Lake Benton, including the associated Heritage Center, in the south and the Swanson Lake Bottom in the north.

Attractions — Yellow Medicine County

On the western edge of Yellow Medicine County, the community of Canby is home to the Lund Hoel House. On the eastern edge is the Wood Lake Battlefield and associated monument, with the surrounding areas home to the Memorials and Centennial Time Capsule, Minnesota’s Machinery Musem, and the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. The Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort is also situated nearby, though further downstream from the county seat of Granite Falls along the Minnesota River.

Granite Falls is located primarily in Yellow Medicine County and serves as the county seat. The vast majority of the community is located in Yellow Medicine, with the Andrew J. Volstead House Museum, the Veterans Memorial, the River Walk Murals, and Carl’s Bakery as notable attractions.

Hype for the Future 64E: Sagadahoc County, Maine

Introduction

Sagadahoc County is the smallest county in the State of Maine by land area, with the largest community at Topsham and the county seat at Bath. Within the county, the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge is a recreational swinging bridge located along the river between the communities of Topsham to the north and Brunswick to the south. Topsham is located in Sagadahoc County, though the City of Brunswick, home to Bowdoin College and the associated Bowdoin College Museum of Art and Perry-MacMillan Arctic Museum, is located within the northernmost portion of Cumberland County along U.S. Route 1, still a significant distance north of Portland.

Sagadahoc Attractions

Though Sagadahoc has no significant urban attractions nor amenities as the community of Topsham is primarily residential, the southern part of the City of Bath is home to the Maine Maritime Museum while the even more southern Town of Arrowsic is home to Squirrel Point Light and the Town of Phippsburg is home to a notable historic site related to the old Popham Colony related to modern Maine. From the Fort Popham State Historic Site, ferry service may occasionally provide access to the Pond Island Lighthouse and, more directly, to the Seguin Island Light Station. The East Brown Cow is located within Cumberland County, and as such, the island attraction shall not be identified as part of Sagadahoc.

Hype for the Future 62LPM: Town of Lincoln, Maine

Introduction

The Town of Lincoln is located in Penobscot County, Maine, moderately to the north of Bangor and within relatively close proximity to Interstate 95 in the region. Lincoln is located at the crossroads of the Down East to the southeast, the Aroostook Valley to the north, the Upper Penobscot Valley for which the community is located, and the Mount Katahdin region to the northwest. Overall, however, the Town of Lincoln is a community of just under five thousand residents as of the 2020 United States Census.

Attractions

Not much is suitable for tourism in the inner Town of Lincoln, though Our Heroes Military Museum is located within town limits. Places to stay include the Whitetail Inn and Suites immediately west of the museum, as well as the Lincoln House Motel and numerous similar facilities and cabins on the outskirts of town.

Hype for the Future 54/284: Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home

About Hildene

The Lincoln Family Home is located in the Town of Manchester, the north shire town of Bennington County, Vermont. The location of Hildene is fairly easily accessible from the area to the west of United States Route 7, telling the eventual story of Robert and Mary Lincoln. Robert was the eldest son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, the only one to survive past eighteen (18) years of age, and the only one to outlive both his parents.

The unfortunate reality for visitors to Hildene was that Robert Lincoln was not a towering presence nor a historical figure resembling his father Abraham Lincoln. The myth about Robert Lincoln was one of replication of his father, except that the replication had not been an obvious feature to begin with. Perhaps the most notable distinction was that Robert Todd Lincoln had disappointed his people with a figure of only five feet, nine inches—seven inches shorter than Abraham Lincoln in fact.

What to Expect

Even in spite of the location of the home in Vermont, resemblance to an estate may be fairly surprising from the New England context. However, the Hildene location was more or less identified as a retreat location in the Town of Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont. Beyond the New England context and Manchester, the Lincoln Family Home is located in a rural area typical of the southern part of Vermont.

Though located in New England, the architectural resemblance to Southern slave plantations may actually be quite a surprise. However, the home at Hildene is actually somewhat smaller than many Southern estates and shares more characteristics with Appalachian estates in the Shenandoah Valley for which the Lincoln family ancestry had been associated.