Robert Todd Lincoln built Hildene as a summer home at the turn of the 20th century. He was the only child of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to survive to maturity. Robert first visited Manchester as a young man in the summers of 1863 and 1864 when he came to the Equinox Hotel with his mother and his brother Tad. He was so taken by the beauty of Vermont that some forty years later he returned to purchase 500 acres of land to build what he would call his ancestral home.
The non-profit Friends of Hildene raised the money to purchase the estate in 1978 and began the long process of restoring the home and gardens. The formal gardens, designed as a birthday gift by Jesse Lincoln for her mother Mary, include many of the original plantings from 1907 and produce thousands of peony blooms each June.
The garden promontory, overlooking the Battenkill Valley, provides spectacular views of the mountains on either side and the Meadowlands 300 feet below. The Cutting and Kitchen Garden behind the Welcome Center was restored in the spring of 2003, and the original potting shed now houses exhibits and provides space for the volunteers who maintain the garden.
Many programs and events take place on the estate each year including children’s camps, craft festivals, art shows, community concerts, farm fairs, polo matches, and family days. Hildene Holiday Evenings are the highlight of the winter season when the house is dressed in traditional festive decorations with flowers, greenery and candles throughout. The formal gardens, lawns and house are also available on occasion for private functions.
Hildene’s program of exhibits has covered a variety of topics including “Vermont and the North Shire in the Civil War: The Common Experience of Uncommon Valor”. This exhibit told the profound story of Manchester’s own Equinox Guards, their journey to battle and the resulting impact on their community.
In 2004, Hildene’s permanent collection of President Abraham Lincoln artifacts was put on display in a new and insightful interpretation of our 16th president entitled: “The Personal Abraham Lincoln”.
Hildene’s walking trails with interpretive signs give visitors a chance to see the wooded areas of the property and provide a link to the beginnings of a working farm on the 10-acre meadow. During the winter, trails become pathways for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Twenty-one groomed and marked trails wind through woods and meadows over 14 kilometers.
Exhibits and the main house and gardens are open daily. Large groups and bus tours are welcomed by reservation throughout the year.
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