Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-028

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (February 12, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we celebrate the birthday of our 16th U.S. President – Honest Abe.

THE RAIL-SPLITTER’S BIRTHDAY

Today we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

He was born on February 12, 1809 in a small log cabin in Kentucky.  He grew up in Indiana when it was truly the western frontier of the country.  He occasionally attended school, but was mostly self-taught and had a great love of reading.

He became a lawyer and served in the Illinois state legislature before running for president.

Lincoln is our tallest president, but his habit of wearing stovepipe hats have given him the impression of being even taller than 6′ 4″.  He is the only president to hold a patent, and to be a member of the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Ironically, Lincoln created the Secret Service just hours before he was assassinated.  The agency was actually created to investigate counterfeit currency, but in 1901 after two other presidential assassinations, the work of the Secret Service switched to protecting the commander-in-chief.  The Secret Service did thwart a plot to steal Lincoln’s corpse, which is now in a very secure tomb in Springfield, Illinois.

This map of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is by Tanner from 1839.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.