Farms!

Day 3: Louisville, KY to Evansville, IN
National Parks Visited: Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace NHS
Other [Historic] Sites Visited: A sheep farm, cattle farm, and a hog farm

by Kelsea

Today my fellow STAMPERS and I visited four wonderful places. They are listed chronologically below.

*Memorial to Lincoln
*A family farm
*Another family farm
*A hog farm

At the memorial to Lincoln, we learned facts such as the Lincoln Memorial we know, the one in D.C. is modeled after the one here in Louisville. Surprising, I know! Here, we took a picture on the steps of the memorial, took a look at the Sinking Spring, and learned some really cool facts! We also saw the actual Bible Lincoln and his family used when he was a kid. A few of the facts we learned are below.
~The number of steps leading up to the memorial are consistent with the age Lincoln was when he died, 56.
~The windows are broken into four squares, each of which have four triangles. Four squared is sixteen (the four squares times the four triangles). Lincoln was the sixteenth president. So, the memorial is built with these types of patterns.

Next, we hopped on the bus and went to a family. We met some kids our age and got to pet the sheep. Supposedly, our visit there will be recorded in their local newspaper.

Next on our agenda was a trip to another local family farm. The owners were so nice! They fed us great food, taught us a lot about their animals, especially the cows and, they were nice enough to give us goody bags at the end. Some highlights of this experience are listed.
~We got to walk and pet the cows and heifers.
~The burgers they provided tasted better than Five Guy’s.
~One of the owners taught a couple of us how to say Louisville the “proper way.” In other words, we learned how to say it with an accent.

The last stop of the day was to a hog farm. It’s owned and ran by a local Kentucky family. I found it quite disgusting, to tell the truth. But, it was a wonderful learning experience that probed me to think about what happens to the food I out in my mouth.

In conclusion, not only does this town have places to visit, it has some historical significance. This is where Lincoln was born and grew up for part of his childhood.

Kelsea is enjoying her spring break and looks forward to tomorrow’s activities! ☺


by Dyani

Today we went to four different places. Stop #1: President Lincoln's birth place. We walked up the 56 steps which represent how old he was when he was shot. Stop #2: We met with local students and went to a farm where we saw sheep. Stop #3: A farm where we had lunch with teh locals and went to see the cows and horses. And finally, Stop #4: we were in a PIG farm. We got to see how pigs live before they get sold. We even got to hold baby pigs that were born today! The pig that I held was nice and almost went to sleep. I must say I was scare of teh big pigs--they were HUGE!

(I love STAMPS!)




by James

Alot to say today...I was again involved in another activity whihc was really cool. I was STAMPS spokesperson today. Boy was I excited. Today was interesting. First, we went to the Lincoln Birthplace NHS. I was very excited when I put my first purple NPS stamp. Park Ranger Steve was funny but still fun and he taught us about Lincoln. My favorite part of Lincoln Birthplace was when Ranger Steve said to us "we could touch things."

Second stop of the day was when I really had to pack down my act of spokesperson. We went to our first farm with sheep. Then, we went to another farm with female cattle. Man, I can't believe I got so close to a cow! This experience was fun adn a little nasty. Our third farm we visited was full of sows (women pigs), boy did that farm smell...I mean P-U! For lunch we ate at the cow farm--they fed us grilled burgers and hot dogs, chips, drinks and a dessert. For dinner, I was stuffed--we ate at IHOP!


by Maya

Today was so cool. Our first stop was Hodgenville Kentucky. In Hodgenville Kentucky is Lincoln’s birthplace. Well, actually it’s a replica. The original was sold a long time ago to some guy. He sold it because he had no money and if he told people that it was our sixteenth presidents logs from his house it could go fast. The replica of his house was so small. I don’t see how he could live there. I know I couldn’t. Right by Lincoln’s house is a meadow Sinking Springs farm. I really enjoyed it. It was quite beautiful. Sinking Springs farm was there when Lincoln was there. Oh yeah I forget to tell you we got STAMPS. We had three stamps and one of them was our personal STAMP. After that we got to go meet some students in a program called 4-H. Some farmers cooked us hamburgers, hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly, chips, brownies and cookies. Boy, were we happy to have something other than fast food. After we had a great meal, we went to the barn and got to see some awesome animals. We saw some prize winning herfers and the big goat was so greedy. It ate all the feed out of my hand. I was laughing the whole time because it tickled. Ugh..wait till you hear this. A cow pooped all over the ground. Gross, I was gagging because it smelled bad. After the barn tour we took a trip to the pig farm. It was so cool at first. Until I saw a pig poop on the ground. The smell was horrific. I was overwhelmed. A mama pig peed on her piglet. Yuck. Oh my favorite part of the farm was when I held a baby pig. Well, I got to go folks. Thanks for reading my blog entry.





by Katie

On our third and more eventful day we stuffed in pig, cow and goat viewing as well as a stop to Abraham Lincoln's birth house site. I'll begin with Lincoln's birth house since he's the basis of our trip, I suppose. We saw the memorial with 56 stairs for how old Lincoln was when he was killed (how clever!). We posed as Kentucky kids at the turn of the 20th century and we of course got our daily STAMPS! Next we visited some local kids who farm everyday! We were such city kids, except for Sertira who was starting up conversations with the animals. We had fun with the other kids although there were differences (ya know, city kids vs. country kids). next we headed to apig farm and held baby piglets. Unfortunately pigs have a tendency to smell...bad. We left smelling like the hog house! Until tomorrow I say Adieu!

Katie loves spaghetti, no matter what Liz thinks!


Lincoln’s Home and the hoghouse!
by Liz

Today we got up at an insanely early hour of six, and then got on the bus at 7:15. We all wore our “Class of ‘09” shirts. We ate breakfast on the bus. We went to the land that Lincoln’s cabin had been on. There was a Lincoln memorial that looks like our Lincoln memorial in D.C., except smaller. They look the same because ours was based on this one. After this we went to a farm where we ate lunch. They had some delicious hot dogs and burgers! (I didn’t have a burger, but my sources say they were better than Five Guys!) Then we went to the barn where they showed us these adorable pigs and goats! They had these cows that they would take to their state farm (they were astounded that we’d never been to a state fair, and had only heard of them in movies). They showed us how they would walk the cows around in a circle! Then they let us walk some of the smaller cows ourselves, which was really scary, but also really cool! After that, we went to the pig farm, which has been one of the worst experiences in my life! 1400 pigs were cooped up in these metal cages, in a room that was only a little bigger than Stuart’s gym. Then we went to see some baby pigs. As I was trying to find a way out, I realized that the metal grates we were standing on were almost directly above the sewage system, so that when the pigs had to go, they wouldn’t have to clean it up, they just hosed it down. We went into a hallway, and I saw some sunlight, so I just ran toward it, and luckily it was a door! I got to the bus and just sat down: my knees were weak. That was a horrifying experience, and I think that pork is out of the question for about a year!

Liz is an eighth grader at Stuart who loves our bus, except that right now it smells like pigs, no matter how much of Ally’s perfume she sprays.



by Linstrum

Today was so great. We did so much first we went and got Mr.Steve Smith our guide for the day. It took about an hour to get there but it was worth the drive. When we got there he told us about how they think when Lincoln's family moved there the neighbor took the logs from the original house to build a farm. Well, the farm was lost in a flood and a man came along and built a cabin and said it was the Lincoln's cabin to make money.

The memorial is so cool it has 56 steps, 16 columns, and other things to represent him and his life. After that we went to a farm and meet a group of very cool people. They did everything on the farm. Next we went to another farm and there I learned a lot too. James was our host for the day and he did a good job. I learned how they had to treat they animals and what they did to care for them. Right before that we had lunch. Our hosts grilled and we had a choice of hamburgers or hotdogs, chips, a soda, and a cookie. It was so great and when we left we didn’t go empty handed! They gave us a great gift bag. We will tell you what’s in them when we get back. When we left we went to a pig farm. It really STINKS but it was a great learning experience that I enjoyed. I held four different piglets and they told us that 100% of there family income comes from what they do.

After that we hit they road again and we are still on they road as I right these so I will see you in 5 or 6 days...see ya!!!


by Alexus

Today we took a tour of Lincoln’s birthplace. His home was really big on the outside. Before we saw his home we saw a remake of what his home would have had in it. We saw things such as the bed they would have slept on to household items like butter churns, plans, and soap. After we visited Lincoln’s birthplace we went to three farms. We saw a horse, lambs, calves and cows. The last farm we went to was the pig farm. It smelled but it was a fun experience. We also got to hold the day hold piglets.


by Sertira

On our third day we visited Lincoln’s Birth House Memorial. We learned that his monument has numerical relations to his life, like how many steps up the memorial is how hold he was when he died. Then we visited a lamb farm. We met up with a group just like us but called 4-H which tends to animal and learns about them. I got to hold and pet a baby lamb. Then we headed to Hodgensville, Kentucky for lunch at a cattle farm. We got there we ate burgers, hot dogs, chips, soda and brownies. Then they showed us their cattle. They had three different breed. We took turns walking cows. Our final trip was to the pig farm and that’s where I fell in love. But it didn’t smell too good but I really enjoyed holding the little pigs. They were so cute and I didn’t want to leave but I had to.


By Candace

March 23, 2009: What a day! Our day started at 6:00 am, with a tour of the Lincoln Memorial in Hodgenville, KY. If you count the steps, it adds up to the number of years Abraham Lincoln was alive. There was actually a replica cabin of the house he “lived in”. We then drove a few minutes to a sheep farm, where we got to pet the sheep. After our brief tour and a lot of pictures, we headed over to a cattle ranch. We learned the step of showing a horse, which is how you prepare them to show in a state fair. It takes a lot of practice. Some of those cows were pretty stubborn! We were then given a chance to lead the cows ourselves, along with petting some goats. They even fed us lunch! After the cattle presentation, we were given gift bags with little Louisville Sluggers in them. How cute! I will never look at pork the same way again after we left the hog farm. I got to hold two baby pigs. One thought it appropriate to “use the potty” on me, but it was okay. The ironic part is that I had pork bacon and sausage at IHOP for dinner!


By Tyquia

Rubbing our tired eyes, we board the bus. Our first stop was Lincoln’s birthplace. After buying our souvenirs and stamping our passports, we went into an exhibit. The exhibit was a display of a cabin from the time period of Lincoln’s birth. The display of the cabin included a bed with bear skin, wool, spinner, churner, soap made from ashes, bee’s wax candles, and so much more. We learned that the children would sleep on the wooded slats on the second floor, but would have to walk up cylinder-shaped wood pieces extended from the wall. We climbed the 56 steps of the birthplace unit of Abraham Lincoln, which inspired the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Departing Lincoln’s birthplace, we headed for three farms. The first farm had only lambs and dogs. It was a big step for me, because I touched all of the animals I encountered except the pigs at the last farm. At the second farm, there was a horse, heifers, lambs, and a cat. We interacted with most of the animals, played with local students, who live on farms, and ate lunch. We had a fun, but tiring day, but it was worth every minute. The only thing I would’ve changed would have been the smell of the pigs at the third farm.

Thank you Ranger Stephen for accompanying us today. “How cool is that?!”


by Monea

Today we went to Lincoln’s birthplace and took a tour guided by Steve from yesterday. We went to the first ever Lincoln Memorial. While we were there we recreated a graduating class from the time period when shoes weren’t necessary. So we removed our shoes and took pictures. Then, we walked up to the memorial and saw a replica of Lincoln’s birth We boarded the bus and made our way to our first farm which farms sheep and they were really cute. Then we went to our next farm that farms cows and I guess it was something they ate but let’s just say we got massive “pies.” But all of this happened after we ate lunch so that was good. We got to lead the cows around the ring since they were show cows. Then off we went to see pregnant hogs which we didn’t find out until we got there. After introducing ourselves, which was James’ job (which was done two times previously), we went in and saw some and carried some piglets. I got peed on which I didn’t notice until someone pointed out. So now we’re on our way to Indiana. Three days down and five days to go.

Monea was peed on by an adorable baby pig.


by Ally

Today was different form the other days. I still had just as much fun though. We began the day by taking an hour and a half trip to Hodegenville, Kentucky. While we were there we participated in a program with Lincoln’s Birthplace staff and the 4-H club. When we were at Lincoln’s birthplace we saw the Lincoln Memorial and learned many facts about it. For example, the reason there are 56 steps is because that’s the age he was when he was assassinated. (We took a picture with our shoes off because that’s what they did in the olden days when they had no pavement). When we left there we went to a sheep farm where we met up with the 4-H Club. The 4-H Club is not only located in rural areas. It is located across the United States. Four-H stands for Heart, Hands, Help and Hope. We pet the sheep and held the lamb. Once we left the sheep farm we went to a cow farm and ate lunch with the 4-H Club. After that we were educated on cows. When we left the cow farm we headed to a pig farm. It stunk a bit, but it was still very interesting. I witnessed a baby pig being born and even held a newborn. I found out baby pigs can easily be killed because there mother steps on them, so they built special bars so that it takes a little bit for the mother to stand up and allows the piglets to move out of the way. I won’t say any names, but…some people got peed on.

My name is Alexandria. I went to the school but left in December. I came all the way back from Philadelphia just so I could go on this trip. So far, it’s worth it!

Livestock Anyone?
by Christian

Today, our day started off back at Lincoln's Birthplace. While we were their we got to build his cabin using Lincoln logs. Then we went into a room and we learned about some of the materials they would have in his house. We also learned what they would be used for. Then we went outside and went up tot he Lincoln Memorial--I know you think we're talking about the one in DC but we're not. The one in DC is modeled after this. Then we went inside and saw the way his cabin looked, but it wasn't his real cabin.

After our visit there we went to three farms. The first one we met 4-H members and we were on a sheep farm. We learned how they shear the sheep to use their wool as yarn. Then we got to hold the babies. Next we saw the border collies that were on the farm.

The next farm we went to had sheep, cows, a horse and a cat. We learned abou thte sheep, cow and horse. Then we got to feed the sheep and we got to practice walking the cows. My favorite part was brushing and talking ot the horse.

And the last place we went was to our last farm after we had lunch. We went to a pig farm and learned all about the pigs. So this day was full of surprises.

"Animals Rock!"



by Devin

Today was cool. We went to three different farms and Abraham Lincoln’s childhood house. I learned that people really love their animals. I liked the farms but the smell go annoying. That is the only negative comment I have about today. The farms we went to had cows, bulls, dogs, lambs and pigs. The animals were big and I was a little nervous. Seeing Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace memorial was really cool because every pattern was representative of his life. I hope tomorrow is going to be cool like today.



by DaJuan

Today our 3rd day of adventure we boarded the bust a 7:15 a.m. Our first stop was to Lincolns’ Birthplace in Hodgenville, KY. In Hodgenville we met Mr. Stephen, the National Park Service ranger who stayed with us all day. We got stamps in our passports and bought souvenirs. After we looked at an exhibit of how Lincoln’s cabin would have looked during that time period. Next, we counted 56 steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial (one for each year of his life). We took several picture and learned the interesting information about Lincoln. Then we went to three farms. The farms were a big step for me because I’m scared of animals and wasn’t used to being around them. The first farm contained lambs and dogs. I was afraid, but I managed to touch a baby lamb…The second farm contained cows and horses that we looked at. The last farm contained all pigs. I did everything I could to manage being in there because it was so smelly. Today was a very exciting day that I encountered.



By Briana

Today we went to Lincoln’s birthplace in Kentucky. We were on the Sinking Springs farm. At the top of the hill where Lincoln was born stands a memorial building which is all about Lincoln. It has56 steps leading up to it signifying the age in which he was shot. There was also 16 squares in the windows and he was the 16th president. Inside the monument was a replica of what his home would have looked like. We also visited the visitor center. We got to see the different objects that would have been in his home such as homemade soap, cotton, bearskins, pots and other necessities. Afterward we visited a farm, three farms and met the children and adults who helped to keep it in order. Two of the farms had sheep. They were very loud but very cute (the small ones at least). When we visited our second farm, they fixed us lunch and we talked, mingled, and fed the sheep, goat and looked at the show cows. The last farm was a hog farm. It smelled horrible and it was very messy. They sell their pigs for profit –selling at least 1400 pigs a week. The piglets were cute, but the adults, not so much. Then we headed out.