Since Abraham Lincoln's death in 1865, the corner of Eighth and Jackson has been a popular destination for people seeking a personal connection to Lincoln's home, life, and legacy. Visitors to the Lincoln Home through the years have included sitting presidents, ordinary citizens, war veterans, and school children. The home was decorated for Lincoln's funeral and burial in May 1865, a school group visited about 1877, the Lincoln Home backyard was the site of the dedication of the Lincoln Homestead State Site and a U.S. flag raising during a Civil War ex-POW reunion on October 16, 1889, President Taft visited on Lincoln's birthday on February 12, 1911, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to do so, and tour buses were coming there by about 1950. Since the mid-19th century, millions of people have visited the Lincoln Home.
