The Polk County Historical Association will sponsor a presentation next month from the Bostic Lincoln Center — which will pose the question of whether or not Abraham Lincoln was born in Rutherford County, rather than Kentucky as history books state. 

The free program will take place at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, at the Polk County Historical Museum, located at 60 Walker St., Columbus.

In the late 1700s, Nancy Hanks came to North Carolina from southern Virginia with her single mother, Lucy Hanks, and sister, Mandy.  When Lucy could not care for her daughters, she bound them out to wealthy families. 

Nancy lived with the Abraham Enloe family and, after many years, became pregnant. Nancy birthed a baby boy in Rutherford County on Puzzle Creek — who she named him Abraham.

Generations of residents in Rutherford County believe that baby boy was the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. 

The Bostic Lincoln Center, located in Bostic, North Carolina, is dedicated to the collection, documentation and preservation of this generational lore.

People are invited to hear the presentation and decide for themselves if the stories are true.

-Submitted by

Becky Hudson