Mary Todd Lincoln House at 578 West Main Street in
Lexington, Kentucky, was the family home of the future
first lady and wife of the 16th President,
Mary Todd Lincoln. The three story home was the home of Robert S. Todd and his family. The family moved to the home in 1832. Mary Todd lived in this home till 1839 when she moved to Springfield, Illinois.
The house was built c.1803-1806 as an
inn and
tavern which was called "The Sign of the Green Tree" before its purchase by the Todd family. Todd was the president of the Lexington Branch of the Bank of Kentucky and also served in the
Kentucky General Assembly for 24 years. He was actively involved in the grocery business in Lexington as well as a cotton-manufacturing firm.
Historic status
The
Mary Todd Lincoln house has the distinction of being the first historic site restored in honor of a First Lady. The home is operated by the Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation, Inc. and was opened to the public on June 9, 1977.
Museum
In the mid-1970s, Beula C. Nunn, wife of Governor
Louie B. Nunn, along with Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation, Inc., and the Metropolitan Women's Club of Lexington, was responsible for the preservation and restoration of the Mary Todd Lincoln House. In June 1996, the Beula C. Nunn Garden at the Mary Todd Lincoln House was dedicated and opened to the public. Today the enclosed gardens contain trees, plants, herbs and shrubs that represent what may have been in...
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