In 1828, 19-year-old Abraham Lincoln took a flatboat from Rockport, Ind., down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River and into New Orleans. It was there Lincoln first saw men and women in chains being sold as slaves. That sight affected him very much and the horror of it would set him on a course that would lead to the Civil War and to freeing the slaves.

On Sept. 9, a 60-foot pioneer-era flatboat sets sail from Rockport to New Orleans in honor of Lincoln. The boat travels the rivers as Lincoln did, sharing the story of his childhood years in Indiana on "Lincoln's Journey of Remembrance."

It's a story many don't know.

Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809.

Illinois may be known as the Land of Lincoln, where he first practiced law in Springfield. (He needed a place to keep his important papers so he stored them under his tall black hat.)

But our 16th president actually lived in Southern Indiana from age 7 to 21.

That's why as the country gets ready to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birthday, Spencer County, Ind., tucked away in the Southwest section of the state, is joining in the festivities.

Lincoln moved to what was known as Little Pigeon Creek in 1816 with his father Thomas, mother Nancy and sister Sarah.

"It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods," Lincoln later would say about this area.

The cabin they lived in was simple, with one room for living, eating, cooking and sleeping. A replica of the cabin and farmstead where the Lincolns lived can be found at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.

Lincoln worked hard growing up and had many jobs.

One of them was taking grain to the mill so it could be turned into flour. There were many mills back then and one of them was known as Gorden's Mill, now part of the Lincoln State Park. It was powered by horses rather than water. It was here that Lincoln, who brought a bag of corn to be ground around sundown, was kicked by a horse.

"Get up ... ," he was saying when the horse kicked him in the forehead knocking him unconscious.

Gorden sent for Thomas Lincoln who arrived and took his son home.

Lincoln lay unconscious the whole night, and it was feared that he would die. But luckily he came to the following morning, and the first words he said were "you old hussy" finishing the sentence he had started the day before.

For more information

To learn more about the time when Lincoln lived in Indiana or to follow the re-enactment of his expedition, visit lincolnsjourney.org where a blog tracks the journey each day with both photos and video. Also available is a Lincoln Activity Page for students.

FYI: (888) 444-9252.

A special postmark

At the Abraham Lincoln Flatboat Landing Station in Rockport, a special pictorial cancellation beginning Sept. 9 will be offered as part of "Lincoln's Journey of Remembrance."

Mail order requests for the special cancellation will be accepted until Oct. 8.

Customers should allow at least a 2-inch-by-4-inch space in the stamp area for the postmark and have postage applied to cards or letters before mailing them -- inside another envelope -- to the Post Office.

Send to: Postmaster, Abraham Lincoln Flatboat Landing Station, P.O. Box 9998, Rockport, IN 47635-9998.

Learn more about Lincoln

The following list offers a look at some of the nonfiction books written about Abraham Lincoln.

* "Abe LIncoln: The Boy Who Loved Books," by Kay Winters and Nancy Carpenter (Preschool to Grade 3)

* "Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington, 1837-1863," by Cheryl Harness (Preschool to Grade 3)

* "Abraham Lincoln the Writer: A Treasury of His Greatest Speeches and Letters," by Harold Holzer (Grades 4 to 8)

* "The Lincoln Memorial (First Facts: American Symbols)," by Terri Degezelle (Grades 4 to 8)

* "There I Grew Up: Remembering Abraham Lincoln's Indiana Youth," by William Bartlet (Grades 9 to 12 and adult)

* "The Assasination of Lincoln: History and Myth," by Lloyd Lewis, Mark Neely (Grades 9 to 12 and adult)