If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.
— A. Lincoln, 1863The Cottage Exterior
The Cottage exterior has been restored to how it looked when the Lincolns lived here during the Civil War.
The scope of the exterior restoration ensured that the building envelope would be watertight and that the materials used are durable and practical to maintain. New roofing systems replicate the slate and sheet metal roofs used in the mid-nineteenth century based on physical and photographic evidence. Stucco has been applied over the brick structure using a lime and sand mix based on surviving samples of original stucco extant on the building. Masonry and carpentry repairs reestablish all of the architectural elements that have either been damaged or lost over the years. A new electrical service has been installed as well as a security system and exterior lighting. Paint research allowed for the replication of the color scheme during the Lincoln era, and the veranda has been reconfigured to the design depicted in historic images.