By Anne Archer, Vermont Country correspondent.
On a 412-acre estate flanked by the Green Mountains to the east and the Taconic Mountains to the west, autumn is alive. Surrounding maples, birches, and northern red oaks are decorated in spicy red, tangy orange, and sunshine yellow leaves; squirrels collect acorns in preparation for winter; Nubian goats, Randall cattle, Corriedale sheep, and Huacaya alpacas grow warmer coats; sweater-clad visitors tour the 1905 Georgian Revival home; and school children explore the woods, waters, agriculture, and history of Hildene,The Lincoln Family Home.
Hildene in Manchester, Vermont has evolved from the family estate of Robert Lincoln, the only son of President Abraham Lincoln to survive to adulthood, into a nonprofit organization providing education, recreation, and inspiration to children and adults in a peaceful environment that invites contemplation.
The diverse estate is grand, consisting of the Lincoln home perched atop a bluff overlooking a valley where the Battenkill River flows; the goat dairy at Hildene Farm, where the craft of cheesemaking is on display; the dene, a working farm with livestock and gardens; a meticulously restored 1903 Pullman car; and 12 miles of walking trails.
The historic home, located at the end of Hildene’s nearly one mile drive, was built by Robert Lincoln and his wife Mary Harlan Lincoln. Robert’s first trip to Manchester occurred during the summer of 1864 when he visited his mother, Mary Todd Lincoln, and his brother Tad, who were staying at The Equinox House (presently The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa). Years later he was drawn back to the area by his Chicago law partner, Edward Isham, who spent the summers at his family estate just south of Manchester Village.
Robert Lincoln – a corporate lawyer, the U.S. Secretary of War under Presidents’ Garfield and Arthur, and president of the Pullman Car Company – and his family spent summers at the Hildene estate where he became a proud gentleman farmer, and his daughter Jessie, who took an interest in gardening, designed the Formal Garden known for the lush heirloom peonies.
Robert died in his sleep in his bedroom at Hildene in 1926 and eventually his granddaughter, Peggy Beckwith, a woman ahead of her time, moved into the home. She was well known throughout Manchester, often seen driving around town, or flying overhead in one of her three planes.
Peggy revitalized farming in the dene, prohibited hunting on the estate, and raised two orphaned raccoons she’d found on the side of the road in an upstairs bedroom overlooking the Formal Garden.
A year after Peggy’s death in 1975, Friends of Hildene, Inc., a nonprofit, was formed by Manchester residents. They saved the property from development, and they followed Peggy’s wishes of turning the estate into a memorial to the Lincoln family.
Today, the property and the 24-room home decorated in original Lincoln family furnishings with a working 1908 Aeolian pipe organ is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
While Hildene is a physical place, it is also a vibrant community that pulsates with positive energy and goodwill, emulating the nonprofit’s purpose “to carry the values of Abraham Lincoln to future generations by educating and inspiring others to put those values into action.”
“It isn’t just a place where you learn about the 14th amendment and about how a wealthy family lived in the turn of the 20th century,” said Craig Gemmell, President of Hildene. “There is so much more here for people.”
Starting with experiential, inquiry-based learning that removes children – and adults – from their screens and places them in an outdoor classroom where maybe they get a little dirty stomping around a pond or engaging with curious farm animals.
For decades, Hildene has welcomed local students through the nonprofit’s hands-on school programs, where students are encouraged to explore, experiment, and make their own discoveries. The programs have become so popular and so respected by teachers that Lisa Maggio, Youth Education Director since 2025, said it is becoming a challenge for her and Youth Education Assistant Kyle Turner to keep up with demand.
Currently, 3,000 students from kindergarten to middle school participate in one or more of Hildene’s 22 standard-based school programs throughout the school year. “We get to see some of the same students multiple times a year which is special because we can dive a little deeper,” said Lisa, who clearly loves her work.
Class topics range from agriculture to natural science to history, with Lisa and Kyle incorporating large swaths of the estate’s diverse property into the curriculum as well as utilizing experts on staff, home and Pullman railcar docents, and knowledgeable volunteers.
Each program is like a child to Lisa, and she tries not to play favorites, but she had to admit Mighty Monarchs – a program that teaches students in grades kindergarten to three about monarchs’ habitat, life cycle, and migration – is one program at the top of her list.
As Lisa explained how the program is set up – one end of an open field is Vermont, the other end of the field is Mexico – her enthusiasm dominated the conversation.
“Each kid turns into a monarch,” Lisa said. “We migrate to Mexico and along the way face challenges, windstorms, rainy days, and it’s just so much fun.”
As Lisa continued, her excitement was contagious.
“They get so into it,” Lisa said. After wintering in Mexico, monarchs begin their journey north, with each generation continuing the migration back to Vermont. “They have a dramatic death, are reborn as eggs, and become larvae, pupae, and butterflies again. The role-playing makes learning come alive.”
While the outdoor school programs, including lessons on pond critters, wetlands, water quality, bumble bees, and greenhouse ecosystems, may get dirt under children’s fingernails, the historic programs turn back the clock, immersing students in a time when Pullman porters fought for better pay and conditions (more role-play involved) and when Abraham Lincoln used a telegraph to communicate with generals in the field during the Civil War.
Craig whole-heartedly endorses the school programs, saying that “This gets right at the core of our mission. And it supports the goals of teachers who don’t always have the resources, and literally the physical resources, to offer these kinds of activities.”
Craig, who came to Hildene in December 2025, brought with him a lifetime of experience in the world of education, first as a faculty member and administrator at Groton School in Massachusetts. Later, he became Head of School at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire before launching two international Brewster campuses in Madrid, Spain.
Education has long been a priority at Hildene. In 2018, the nonprofit joined forces with Manchester’s local high school, Burr & Burton Academy (BBA) – a natural fit as both organizations share a commitment to integrity, service, civic responsibility, and sustainability.
In 2015, thanks to a generous donor, an educational, four-season greenhouse was built at the dene, a part of the Hildene campus located in the valley below Robert Lincoln’s house. A classroom and two gardens – an education garden and a BBA garden – were also constructed. The facilities are open to visitors to explore where they will often find students working on projects through BBA’s Farm and Food Studies classes.
“The separate space and the classroom allow for students to experiment and make mistakes,” said Ann Ogden Hausslein, Hildene Farm Gardens Manager and Educator since 2014.
Year-round, the dene, which is situated between the Green and Taconic Mountains, is picturesque but in autumn it redefines breathtaking. With a backdrop of blazing red, orange, and yellow trees, Randall cattle, Vermont’s only known heritage breed, graze in the fields; Corriedale sheep mill around wearing sheep coats designed to protect the quality of the fleece; Huacaya alpacas hang out with a variety of chickens and ducks; and wide, mowed trails lead to a wetland boardwalk perfect for bird watching.
Ann spends a large amount of time at the dene, particularly in the educational greenhouse and gardens where she helps BBA students who take classes like CP Food Systems, CP Sustainable Agriculture, CP Ethnobotany, Farm to Plate, and Farm Skills internships, which are taught through integrative, experiential, place-based learning methods.
“The fun collaboration that I get to do is pretty exciting,” said Ann, as she recounted her work with students. “I get to think up ideas that are created out of that educational space.”
Having students of all ages explore, discover, and study agriculture, the natural sciences, and history at Hildene has not only brought the nonprofit closer to its mission, it has improved the property and created new experiences for visitors.
Through Ann’s work with students, visitors to the dene can see different types of crops beyond standard vegetables and flowers. She and her students have experimented with luffa, heritage grains, and broom corn, and created a dye garden. All the products, from start to finish, are on display.
Visitors also reap the benefits of Hildene Youth Corps, a summer camp designed for seventh and eighth grade students. Each year, the Youth Corps team completes projects that enhance Hildene’s campus.
During a visit to the goat barn, guests watch curious Nubian goats play on the creative climbing structure built by the 2026 Youth Corps team. The structure is intended to stimulate the goat’s brains but for them it’s just fun to run up and down ramps and jump onto platforms.
Since milk from the goats is used to make chévre, a soft, creamy cheese, the team built a bottle-fed goat station and a demonstration milking stand designed to help new goats feel comfortable when walking up to the milk station. These items are practical, but they also enhance guest experience through education.
All the success with Hildene’s school programs has Craig thinking about ways to expand Hildene’s adult education programming.
“It’s inspiring me to think about the broader scope and sequence that we offer here for all people,” Craig said.
While Craig is happy to see so many adults’ visiting Robert Lincoln’s family home, he’d like to see more of them exploring all the sites Hildene has to offer and to engage more deeply in the content.
Under Craig’s leadership, Hildene has increased its programming to include many high-profile speakers to explore and address the pressing issues of our time. This past summer, it launched the Lincoln-Hildene Civil Community Initiative under the direction of Stephanie Moffett-Hynds.
It has already featured several prominent thinkers. Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin spent an evening at Lincoln Hall discussing lessons learned from Abraham Lincoln’s leadership and how to use those lessons to engage in civic dialogue.
Stephanie explained, “The Civil Community Initiative is a gathering place for civil discourse modeled on the example of President Lincoln himself, encouraging curiosity, humility, and a willingness to sit down with people who see things differently. At a time when it is easier than ever to retreat into our echo chambers, we bring people back together in community to foster healthy dialogue and inspire goodwill and civic engagement. To do this work, we have been honored to host Ms. Goodwin, in addition to leading US Constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar, and James Ramsey, Sr. Advisor to the US Capital Historical Society.
On a separate evening, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns entertained guests with a lively conversation with Harold Holzer, the chairman of the Lincoln Forum. Burns spoke about the making of The Civil War, a five-part film that aired on Public Broadcasting Service in 1990.
Launching the Civil Community Initiative and hosting the Lincoln Forum, a weekend long retreat for Abraham Lincoln and Civil War era scholars and enthusiasts, are only the beginning of Hildene’s expansion into adult educational programming.
While the future is bright for Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, Craig is focused on fall. He wants to get people outside to enjoy the colorful autumn landscape and to learn more about the agriculture and history of Hildene. For Craig, it’s “back to school at Hildene for people who are lifelong learners.” Lisa agreed, only she rephrased the sentiment. “Welcome back students of all ages.”
Editor’s Note: Anne Archer was assigned this article because of her longstanding knowledge of Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, including serving as a member of the board of trustees, her close connection to the Manchester community and her experience as a local freelance writer..
Plan your visit
Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home
Located at 1005 Hildene Road, Manchester, Vt.
Phone (802) 362-1788
Website hildene.org
Hours & Admission:
Memorial Day to October 31st
Open 7 days a week 10AM-4:30PMNovember 1st- the last Monday of May
Open Thursday through Monday 10AM- 4:30PM
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
General admission: Adults $25.00, children (ages 6-16) $8.00, children 5 and under free.
Vermont resident general admission $12.50, children under 16 free with an adult.
Memberships: Individual $65.00, Household $125.00
