Robert Todd Lincoln was the eldest of the four sons of President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, and the only one of them to survive into adulthood. Robert grew fond of Manchester when he used to visit the area as a young man when he was visiting his mother.
In 1903, Robert returned to Manchester & purchased 392 acres to build his family home. At the time, Robert was the President of Pullman Company which was the largest manufacturing company in the country. Robert Todd Lincoln had already served as secretary of war under two presidents and as ambassador to the Court of St. James.
Robert & his family moved into the house in 1905. The beautiful estate boasts 14 buildings, these include but not limited to the home, formal garden, and observatory.
Peggy Beckwith, Abraham Lincoln’s great-granddaughter and the last Lincoln descendant to live at Hildene, added more acreage to the estate. Peggy who lived full-time at the property expanded the farming operations for the estate that are still in place today. When Peggy died in 1975, she was the last descendent of the Lincoln Family. When she died in 1975, she left Hildene to the Church of Christ, Scientist in accordance with grandmother's wishes. The will stipulated that the Church maintain Hildene as a memorial to the Lincoln family. The Church didn't have the financial means to maintain the property. In 1978, a non-profit was formed to purchase the estate & maintain it as a historical venue.
The now 412 acre estate, with its Georgian revival mansion and 14 historic buildings, includes the home, formal garden and observatory; Welcome Center and The Museum Store in the historic carriage barn; 1903 Pullman car, Sunbeam; and Hildene Farm. The farm includes a solar-powered goat dairy and cheese-making facility and, in the lower portion of the property—the dene--includes a teaching greenhouse, composting facility, animal barn, vegetable gardens, apple orchard, 600-foot floating wetland boardwalk and an 1832 schoolhouse.
