In addition to winning the Civil War and ending slavery through the passage of the 13th Amendment, Abraham Lincoln masterfully guided significant legislation to pave the way for the unprecedented expansion of the United States. He was assassinated in office on April 15th, 1865 while attending a play at Ford's Theater in Washington DC. Lincoln is often considered the greatest of all American presidents.

This specimen is a unique keepsake from the late president, a fragment of the front walkway of Lincoln's only-owned home at 413 South Eighth Street in Springfield, Illinois. It was recovered during renovation work of the property in 1954.

Each hand-cut brick fragment is encased inside an acrylic specimen jar and presented in one of our classic, glass-topped riker display boxes.

The size varies but on average the fragments measure 1 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm. The riker display box measures 4 1/2" x 3 1/2". A small information card is also included, which serves as the certificate of authenticity.

This incredible specimen is a touchstone of American history and an amazing collector's item for just about anyone.

Born into the poverty of the early 19th-century frontier, Abraham Lincoln had a childhood of hard labor with little opportunity for schooling. However, young Lincoln was obsessed with reading, with a special love for poetry. As a young man, he left his father’s home and made a life for himself in the town of New Salem, Illinois. Lincoln’s political career began early, first running for state legislature at only the age of 23. Though this first attempt would be a failure, he ran again and won two years later.

Lincoln would eventually come to win the Republican nomination for the 1860 presidential election. He was an unorthodox pick, with few outside of Illinois (which was effectively still a frontier state) respecting the choice of a politically unaccomplished lawyer. However, Lincoln would prove himself to be an incredibly clever political strategist. When building his cabinet, he brought together his own political rivals in order to strengthen the bonds of the Republican Party. His presidential victory would eventually lead him to cement the Union leading up to the Civil War.

During his time in office, President Lincoln masterfully guided significant legislation through a very complicated Congress. In addition to winning the Civil War and ending slavery through the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862, making millions of acres of Western lands available for purchase, and the Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 which made the first Transcontinental Railroad possible and opened the West for dramatic expansion.

Four months after the Battle of Gettysburg, President Lincoln delivered remarks at the dedication of the Solider's National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It is said that Lincoln was rather quiet as he delivered the speech. Most researchers believe he may have been suffering from a case of smallpox. Regardless, this short speech summarizes one of the most tumultuous events in American history:

President Lincoln was assassinated in office while attending a play at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC on April 15, 1865. His assassin was John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor of the time and Confederate spy. The President's death sealed his memory as a national martyr and in the years since his legend has grown.

Lincoln only owned a single house during his lifetime: a one and a half story building at 413 South Eighth Street in Springfield, Illinois. The Lincoln family moved to the property in 1844 and the building would be their home through highs and lows in both family and political life. Three of Lincoln’s children were born here and unfortunately, three would pass away here as well. In 1860 after Lincoln was elected President of the United States, the family moved their best furniture from the property and rented the home out, intending to return at the end of his term in office.

After the death of her husband, Mary Lincoln would not return to the Springfield house. She wrote that she “could not bear to return to the scenes of the happiest times in my life without my family.” In 1887, the family’s only living son, Robert Todd Lincoln donated the property to the State of Illinois in order to preserve it as a historic site. In 1954, the state-organized a refurbishing of the house, replacing any broken material in the brickwork. Today the house is managed by the National Parks Service, which holds many historical activities on site that are open to the public.