A HISTORIC JOURNEY
During the years that Lincoln spent golfing at the Ekwanok Country Club , he also invited prominent professional golfers and notable diplomats to join him for games at Ekwanok , such as U . S . President William Howard Taft , British Prime Minister David Lloyd George , Henry Ford , the iconic 19th Century golfer Charles Blair MacDonald , and Colonel George Harvey , who would later become the U . S . Ambassador to Great Britain .
Hildene , The Lincoln Family
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1005 Hildene Road
For the final stop on your tour , head to Manchester ’ s most celebrated historic attraction – Hildene , The Lincoln Family Home . This breathtaking 412-acre estate is home to a majestic Georgian Revival-style mansion , a formal garden and observatory , and Hildene Farm , among other attractions . Construction of Hildene began in 1903 , and the Lincoln family spent their first summer there in 1905 . Robert Todd Lincoln thoroughly enjoyed spending time at Hildene and was known to spend his afternoons in its gardens taking in the panoramic mountain vistas .
While Lincoln was building his estate at Hildene , he was also working as the President of the Pullman Company , which manufactured luxurious railcars in the 19th Century and early 20th
Century . In 2011 , the painstakinglyrestored 1903 Pullman Car , Sunbeam , was brought to Hildene after years of fundraising , tireless searching , and fiercely determined planning on behalf of the Friends of Hildene nonprofit organization .
According to the Manchester Historical Society ’ s Curator , Shawn Harrington , Pullman Cars played an integral part in the continued development of Manchester ’ s tourist economy . “ Pullman Cars actually brought tourists into Manchester Depot for decades . That ’ s why it ’ s so incredible to have a Pullman Car in Manchester today in its original restored condition . Back in the latter half of the 19th century , Manchester Village ’ s economy completely revolved around the ‘ Summer Colony .’ The expression ‘ Manchester and the Mountains ’ was actually coined right around 1900 , when Robert Todd Lincoln first returned to Manchester to visit Edward Isham . Manchester developed a reputation amongst east-coast elites as an ideal summer destination . Most of the well-to-do tourists that flocked to Manchester for the summer arrived by train , and they all came up in Pullman Cars .”
After Robert Todd Lincoln passed away in 1926 , the Lincoln family continued to live at Hildene until Abraham Lincoln ’ s great-granddaughter , Peggy Beckwith , died in 1975 . In line with her grandmother ’ s wishes , Peggy left Hildene to the Church of Christ , Scientist . After the Church realized that it did not have the necessary funds to properly maintain the grounds , members of the local community intervened to prevent Hildene from being sold to developers . The community members formed a nonprofit organization , Friends of Hildene , which raised enough money to purchase the estate in 1978 . In the years that followed , Friends of Hildene began working to restore the home and formal garden and also put a great deal of effort into building up the Hildene Farm . The farm ’ s facilities now include a solar-powered goat dairy and cheesemaking facility , a teaching greenhouse , vegetable gardens , an apple orchard , and a schoolhouse built in 1832 that is still used for education programs . In line with Hildene ’ s educationallyoriented “ Values into Action ” mission statement , local high school students from Burr & Burton Academy are able to take agriculture and environmental classes at the Hildene Farm . The BBA- Hildene program flawlessly exemplifies Hildene ’ s continuing commitment to honoring the site ’ s cultural heritage through environmental stewardship , community education , and civic engagement . Visitors who come to Hildene are required to purchase admissions passes , which are available at the on-site welcome center .
For more about The Lincoln Trail : 1761arts . org
86 manchester life | manchesterlifemagazine . com