Moore Home State Historic Site, Wabash Valley Travel Guide

The Moore Home State Historic Site offers a glimpse into the life of a mid-19th century Illinois family and its connection to Abraham Lincoln. The home belonged to Reuben Moore and his wife, Matilda Johnston Hall Moore, who was Abraham Lincoln's stepsister. It was here, in January 1861, that President-elect Lincoln visited his stepmother, Sarah Bush Lincoln, and family for the last time before leaving for his inauguration in Washington, D.C..The 1.5-story frame house, dating back to the late 1850s, showcases a more urban style of home compared to the log cabins that were common in the area at the time. The house features plaster walls, clapboard siding, and wood-burning stoves. Renovated in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the home is furnished with 1860s period pieces, providing visitors with a sense of the living conditions of a middle-class family after the Civil War.Today, the Moore Home stands as a reminder of the once-thriving town of Farmington, also known as Campbell. While the town diminished after the railroad bypassed it, the Moore Home remains, offering a tangible link to the past. The site is located near the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, where visitors can explore the preserved 1840s home of Lincoln's father and stepmother.