(WHAS11) Take a trip down to Hodgenville, Kentucky, in Larue County and it's hard to miss a familiar face found all around town. In the town known as Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, the nation's 16th president's presence can be felt all over, with his name and image gracing the bank building, the local radio station and the statues in the town center.
"Definitely one of our most well-known and well-beloved native sons," Rob Thurman, the assistant director of the Lincoln Museum, said. "We see roughly 250,000 people in our little town of 4,000 people each year."
All that tourism amounts to anywhere between $12-$15 million in economic impact, according to Thurman, which can be seen from the gift shop and museum purchases to the added businesses at the local restaurants and gas stations.
For many tourists and Lincoln aficionados, one of the must-see spots is the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, which includes a replica of the cabin the future President was born in, housed inside the Lincoln Memorial.
"It's actually the first Lincoln Memorial in the United States built before the one in Washington, D.C.," Thurman said.
But the gates have been closed since the government shut down in late December. The National Historical Park is still partly accessible to foot traffic, but many of the highlights, including the memorial, are closed off.
"None of it was maintained. There's absolutely nobody there. All the doors were shut down. Everything was there. You pretty much had the whole place to yourself," Joshua Keltner, visiting from Summerville, Kentucky, said. "You couldn't get into the bathrooms, the visitor center, gift shop, anything."
"They can see the exteriors of the building but they're not able to fully appreciate the impact and the legacy that the parks staff interpret on a daily basis," Thurman said.
One of the places that has remained open is the Lincoln Museum, located in the heart of Hodgenville. The museum is a community non-profit and does not receive federal funds, which means it isn't affected by the shutdown, though Thurman said he has met some visitors who are a little disappointed that they hadn't been able to get the full experience.
"But a number of them have been incredibly understanding of the impact it's making on the staff's family and worrying about their finances and hoping for a swift resolution," he said.
Thurman said at this time, the effects of the shutdown on Hodgenville have been minimal as the winter is usually one of the town's quieter tourism seasons, but that many hope the shutdown will end very soon, especially before the busy spring season begins.