Mary Todd Lincoln House Falls Victim to Attempted Arson
Originally published August 2023 · pp. 9
Mary Todd Lincoln House Falls Victim to Attempted Arson LEXINGTON, KY—Mary Todd Lincoln’s teenage home was nearly burned to the ground intentionally by a suspected arsonist the morning of June 16th. The home has operated as a house museum since 1977. Located in downtown Lexington, Ky., the alarm system of the Mary Todd Lincoln House was tripped around 4 a.m. When police arrived, they found 29-year-old Santosh Sharma pouring gasoline on the structure’s back porch. The house suffered no damage and was operating on their normal schedule later that day. The Mary Todd Lincoln House was built as a tavern in 1803– 1806. The Todd family bought the residence in the early 1830s. Mary Todd lived in the home with her family from 1832 to 1839, when she moved to Springfield, Illinois. While living in Springfield, Mary Todd met a young attorney named Abraham Lincoln, and they married in 1842. The couple visited Lexington often. Sharma has been charged with menacing, criminal trespassing, and attempted arson. His case has been referred to a grand jury. Submitted by Phillip Seyfrit, Curator of the Battle of Richmond (KY) Visitors Center.
Childhood home of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln located at 578 West Main Street, Lexington, Ky.
Photographs from the Original Article
Captions and credits appear in the article text as originally printed.