During my last road trip, I visited Hodgenville, Kentucky to visit the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. It was a very enjoyable visit in large part due to the beautiful autumn weather.

In 1911, this first Lincoln Memorial was built on the hill where the Lincoln cabin was located:

The First Lincoln MemorialThe first Lincoln Memorial building (1911) at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park at 2995 Lincoln Farm Road in Hodgenville, Kentucky on October 21, 2014

The First Lincoln MemorialThe first Lincoln Memorial building (1911) at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park at 2995 Lincoln Farm Road in Hodgenville, Kentucky on October 21, 2014

The 56 stairs leading up to the monument represent Lincoln's age at his death:

The First Lincoln MemorialThe first Lincoln Memorial building (1911) at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park at 2995 Lincoln Farm Road in Hodgenville, Kentucky on October 21, 2014.The 56 steps leading up to the building entrance represent his age at Lincoln's death.

The First Lincoln MemorialThe first Lincoln Memorial building (1911) at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park at 2995 Lincoln Farm Road in Hodgenville, Kentucky on October 21, 2014.The 56 steps leading up to the building entrance represent his age at Lincoln's death.

Inside the monument is a log cabin. For years, it was thought that this cabin was the actual Lincoln family cabin. Recently, science took some of the fun out of this notion by proving that the logs are dated shortly after Lincoln's birth:

Lincoln cabinLog cabin inside the first Lincoln Memorial building (1911) at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park at 2995 Lincoln Farm Road in Hodgenville, Kentucky on October 21, 2014. The Memorial Building features 16 windows, 16 rosettes on the ceiling, and 16 fence poles, representing Lincoln's being the 16th president. The 56 steps leading up to the building entrance represent his age at his death.

Lincoln cabinLog cabin inside the first Lincoln Memorial building (1911) at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park at 2995 Lincoln Farm Road in Hodgenville, Kentucky on October 21, 2014. The Memorial Building features 16 windows, 16 rosettes on the ceiling, and 16 fence poles, representing Lincoln's being the 16th president. The 56 steps leading up to the building entrance represent his age at his death.

The interior of the monument features 16 windows, 16 rosettes on the ceiling and 16 fence poles representing Lincoln being the 16th President of the United States.