President Lincoln’s Cottage: A tour of his historic home in Washington

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C., served as a retreat for President Abraham Lincoln during his years in office, functioning much like a modern presidential getaway.

The cottage was originally built for banker George Riggs in 1842. During the Civil War in 1862, Lincoln used the property as a seasonal residence.

The site sits at one of the highest points in the city.

“The cottage is one of the highest spots in Washington D.C. From this vantage, Lincoln could have seen the Capitol dome,” said Callie Hawkins, Executive Director and CEO of President Lincoln’s Cottage.

The home offered a contrast to Lincoln’s origins.

“This room was larger than the cabin that President Lincoln was born in,” Hawkins said.

The cottage also provided the Lincoln family an escape from both the summer heat of the White House and personal loss.

“The White House had become a house of pain for them by the summer of 1862 after the death of their little boy Willie,” Hawkins said. “And the move out here really shows that Lincoln was desperately trying to balance the demands of the presidency and demands of being a husband and father.”

Despite being away from the White House, Lincoln continued conducting the business of the presidency at the cottage, receiving visitors ranging from everyday citizens to world leaders.

“We called it the Emancipation room because of the work that Lincoln did here,” Hawkins said. “Just a few weeks after moving to the cottage for the first time, Lincoln put pen to paper to conceive the Emancipation Proclamation.”

The cottage sits on the grounds of what was known during Lincoln’s time as the Soldiers’ Home, now called the Armed Forces Retirement Home. After Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, veterans on the grounds named a bar in the basement the Lincoln Lounge and Pub. The grounds also housed the Soldiers’ Home, or “Lincoln Band.”