Abraham Lincoln used this desk when he first “began to do business for myself” around 1844, according to the affidavit. About ten years later, he brought it home to his new second floor bedroom and used it there for a few years until he upset the inkwell on it and upset Mrs. Lincoln in the process. She threw it out! Mr. Lincoln rescued it from the trash pile and gave it to a neighbor who repaired it and used it for many years before it was collected by a former Lincoln Home caretaker. Eventually it was returned to the Lincoln Home where it again graces the corner of Mr. Lincoln’s bedroom…minus the ink stain. Lincoln used this desk to write legal briefs and several of his early political speeches on his pathway to becoming the first president from Illinois.