The Hardin County History Museum in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, offers a fascinating glimpse into the region's rich past, from its early pioneer days to its role in the Civil War and beyond. Featuring artifacts, documents, and exhibits on figures like Abraham Lincoln, the museum preserves and shares the stories that shaped Hardin County. It’s a must-visit for history enthusiasts looking to explore Kentucky’s heritage.

Thomas Lincoln lived in or near Elizabethtown from about 1796 to 1808. A solid citizen, he served as a policeman, helped lay out and build roads, and served in the militia. His services as a carpenter and cabinetmaker were always in demand. Lincoln helped construct both industrial buildings, such as Haycraft’s Mill, and homes such as the Hardin Thomas House, now known as the Lincoln Heritage House. After he married Nancy Hanks in 1806 the couple may have lived on the Mill Creek farm for as long as a year before moving to Elizabethtown, where Thomas built a house. Their first child, Sarah, was born in Elizabethtown in 1808. Both the Sinking Spring and Knob Creek farms were in Hardin County when the Lincolns lived there, LaRue County had yet to be formed. The Lincoln family left Kentucky in 1816. Thomas Lincoln returned to Elizabethtown one more time, after the death of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, to court and marry Sarah Bush Johnston in December 1819.

These stories and more are interpreted at the Hardin County History Museum and Lincoln related sites at Freeman Lake Park.  

Hardin County History Museum

201 W. Dixie Ave.

Elizabethtown, KY 42701

270-763-8339

https://www.touretown.com/listing/hardin-county-history-museum/139/