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Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln's Estate | |
| Abraham Lincoln had four sons, but only one of them lived to adulthood: Robert Todd Lincoln. | ||
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When President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Robert Todd Lincoln was an officer serving under General Grant in the Union Army. Later a successful lawyer and businessman, Robert Lincoln came to Manchester in 1902, bought 412 acres of land, and began construction of Hildene. The mansion was completed in 1904, and Lincoln spent the summers there until his death in 1926. The estate was inherited by his wife, and then his granddaughter, who left it to the Church of Christ, Scientist, in 1975. It's now owned and maintained by a nonprofit group, the Friends of Hildene. Robert Todd Lincoln built more than a house here. Hildene's 22 buildings include a dairy barn, horse barn, sugar house, greenhouse, even a small observatory. You can roam the grounds, tour the 22-room Georgian Revival mansion, inspect Lincoln family heirlooms any day of the week, mid-May through October. In winter, Hildene is the site of a ski touring center. To find it, go 2 miles south along US 7A from the intersection with Route 11/30—the intersection is the main crossroads in Manchester Center. |
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 Stay at The Equinox Hotel in Manchester VT while visiting Hildene.
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