President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home

President Lincoln’s Cottage is a restored 19th-century residence on the Soldiers’ Home campus in northwest Washington, D.C., used by Abraham Lincoln as a retreat and working residence during his presidency. It is noted for its association with Lincoln’s wartime leadership.

Visitors experience guided tours of the restored house and period rooms that interpret Lincoln’s daily life, work, and wartime decisions while in residence. Exhibits focus on the years 1862 to 1864 when Lincoln spent extended periods at the cottage and used it for meetings and drafting correspondence. Tours typically include the cottage interior and parts of the surrounding grounds.

The cottage was built in the mid-19th century as part of the U.S. Soldiers’ Home campus. Abraham Lincoln used it as a respite from the White House during the Civil War and as a place to meet officials and draft documents; the site’s modern restoration and interpretation emphasize those years of presidential occupancy.

The site sits on the grounds of the Soldiers’ Home in northwest Washington, D.C., approximately 2 miles (about 3 kilometers) north of the White House and adjacent to the veterans’ residential campus.

• Tours and interpretation: Guided tours are the standard way to visit; the site interprets Lincoln's stays there from 1862 to 1864 and his use of the cottage as a working residence where he spent many evenings and weekends.
• Location note: The cottage is about 2 miles north of the White House within the Soldiers' Home campus, requiring a short trip from central Washington, D.C.

What to See #

• The Cottage: A restored 19th-century cottage on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home that contains furnished period rooms and interpretive exhibits about Lincoln's time there.
• Soldiers' Home grounds: Open lawn and garden areas of the Soldiers' Home campus that provided Lincoln with a quieter setting away from the White House and are part of the historic landscape visitors see on tours.