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Lincoln's Cottage: a Country House for the President

About five kilometers from the White House in Washington, D.C., stands an historic building closely linked to one of America’s most famous presidents: Abraham Lincoln. The building, known as President Lincoln's Cottage, is where Lincoln spent about one-fourth of his time while in office. And he made some very important decisions while there. Summertime can get very hot in Washington, D.C. So, President Lincoln used a country house to escape the worst of the heat. Each morning and evening, Lincoln rode between the two houses on horseback, unguarded. The trip took about thirty minutes. The large house he rode to was on the grounds of the Soldiers’ Home. The house stood on much higher ground than the White House, so the wind kept it cooler. It was also quiet -- a place to think. Lincoln spent much of his time there writing. That work included early versions of what would become one of the most important documents in American history: The Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation came during the Civil War in the United States. The proclamation declared people held as slaves in the rebellious states were free. The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865. Troops remained at the Soldiers' Home to protect President Lincoln during the war. At first, Lincoln did not welcome the soldiers. He did not think he needed their protection. But he began to enjoy talking to them. In fact, much of what historians know about the president's time at the house is from stories told by those soldiers. One night in 1864, President Lincoln survived a murder attempt. He was alone and on horseback near the country house when someone shot at him. His tall hat flew off his head. Soldiers found the hat and saw that a bullet had torn through it. The president was not injured in the attack. After that, the War Department increased protection for Lincoln. But it was not enough to save his life. Records show that he visited his country house for the last time on April 13, 1865. The next day, John Wilkes Booth, an actor and supporter of the defeated Confederacy, shot President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington. President Lincoln’s Cottage opened to the public in 2008.