Mary Todd Lincoln's House Museum in Lexington, Kentucky

Last month I shared about our visit to Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace, so this month I want to share about our visit to Mary Todd Lincoln’s house in Lexington, Kentucky.

I first want to say that this house sits in downtown Lexington, with several modern amenities all around it. The fact that this has been preserved is amazing. And I found the history presented helping to tell a larger story about the Lincoln family, including the differences between Abraham and Mary’s backgrounds. As a Lincoln fan, this was a bucket list item, and I'm so grateful we had time on our trip to visit the museum.

The Outside 

There is a tiny parking lot in the back where you can enter a courtyard before walking around to the front of the house. The courtyard includes signs that share a historic overview. I'm putting these images in larger, so you can read them.

One of the most interesting things I learned in just the garden, was that Mary came from an affluent family, was well educated for a woman during that time period, and had a keen interest in politics. When she met Lincoln, this common interest is what brought them together.

The other interesting thing was that she had a brother who served in the confederate army during the civil war. Talk about a topic that divided a family! I can only imagine the stress this added to both these families lives. Besides having opposing views about slavery (Mary’s father owned slaves while at the same time opposed slavery - I know - a bit confusing), when her brother was killed, and her sister came to the White House to mourn with Mary, Mary was called out by some to be a south sympathizer for allowing her sister in the White House

In some ways Mary was in a no-win situation. But she was a strong woman, standing by her husband no matter what. It was documented she was a firm supporter of her husbands politics and never wavered on that point.

Once you walk through the gardens you enter onto the street to come in through the front door.

The Inside Highlights

Inside there is both a self-guided tour option and a tour guide option. Due to timing, we did the self-guided tour. The signs, the map, and the details presented made it enjoyable and educational.

I don’t have space to share all the pictures I took, but we were able to tour the parlor, the dining room, the kitchen area, the sitting rooms, and the bedrooms upstairs. The main bedroom included a small childs room extended within it, for the babies and toddlers to be taken care of.

Each room had a card pointing out highlights and the history on the room.

In one of the rooms was a Binder that had pictures of Mary in several of her White House Dresses. I enjoyed seeing new photos of her and the different styles she wore. The order shared a perspective of the scrutiny she was under.

 

 

In the sitting rooms, replica china from the white house were displayed.

 

In Summary

I have always been a fan of Lincoln and have enjoyed being able to visit his birthplace, the Lincoln theater in DC (along with the building across the street where he passed), reading books on him, and now learning more about his wife and her background. She had a huge influence on Lincoln becoming President. In almost every way, they were a team. I can't even imagine what his death must've been for her.

She didn't have family she could go back to or who would offer her support (her mother had passed when she was young and her step-mother wanted to get them out of the house as quickly as possible). And the media were not kind to her. Hard to escape the labels given on such a grand scale.

When I was reading through all the museums displays, I tried to see Mary and her choices later in life through her point of view. She faced a lot of challenges. And lost a lot.

If you'd like to learn more about Mary, this article from The Epoch Times on Mary (titled Maligned, Mistreated, and Mad: The Tragedy of Mary Lincoln) provides a lot more detail.

If you are ever in the Lexington area, I highly recommend a visit. There's also a small gift shop on the premises. You would need anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on how much you like to read and study what's provided.

 

 

Book 4 in Denise M. Colby's Best-laid Plans Series

California, 1870. Pastor William Baker built his life on steady faith and safe choices, but the arrival of Lydia Spencer upends everything. Independent and outspoken Lydia is unlike any woman he’s ever known. Lydia is a Pinkerton detective, undercover as a schoolteacher while tracking a dangerous crime boss. She’s determined to protect her friends in Washton even if it means keeping her distance from the kind, steadfast pastor who sees too much. But when Will and Lydia are thrown together in a search for truth they find themselves fighting not only for justice, but for a future neither had planned.

Denise M. Colby writes historical romance sweetened with faith, hope, and love. She finds history fascinating and contemplates often how it was to live in the 1800's. Her debut novel, When Plans Go Awry, is a 2025 Carol Award finalist. Sign up for her newsletter at www.denisemcolby.com or follow Denise on Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, Pinterest, or GoodReads.