The Honest Abe You Didn’t Know: Handball Hustler

Lloyd Ostendorf print of Lincoln
playing handball (1971)

Yep, you read that right. Abraham Lincoln—the 16th President of the United States, the Savior of the Union, and our first martyred leader—was a handball guy.

With football season fast approaching (and let’s be clear: football has nothing to do with handball), it feels timely to spotlight Lincoln’s athletic side. Because, believe it or not, Lincoln was kind of a jock.

Even he admitted it:

“For such an awkward fellow, I am pretty sure-footed. It used to take a pretty dexterous man to throw me.” [1]

His legendary strength and wrestling prowess are well documented, but Lincoln’s love of sport went far beyond grappling. He enjoyed running, the standing broad jump, “corner ball” (an old Amish/Mennonite game), and bowling—known then as “rolling ten pins.” These weren’t idle pastimes. Lincoln saw physical activity as essential for both body and mind. [2]

And competition was his lifeblood.

But it was handball—called “fives” in his day, named for the open-handed strike—that became Lincoln’s sport of choice in middle age. The game could be played with two, four, or six players, divided evenly into teams. Lincoln typically played doubles, and among his Springfield circle, the matches were fast-paced, physical, and fiercely competitive.

Why so intense? Because the losers paid 10¢ each—a not-so-trivial sum at the time (about $3.25 today). Depending on the number of players, the winners could walk away with 10 to 30¢ per game. That little wager added fuel to Lincoln’s already fiery drive to win.

Dr. Preston H. Bailhache described the action:

“It began with one person bouncing the ball on the ground and striking it with his hand toward the wall… and as it bounds back from the wall one of the opponents strikes it in the same manner, so that the ball is kept going back and forth against the wall until someone misses the rebound, which furnishes a very active and exciting contest.” [3]

Although the matches were active and exciting, even back then, the setting in which to play them was anything but—especially in a midwestern frontier town.

🏘️ Springfield’s Handball Alley

Their court of choice? A vacant lot in Springfield, Illinois. The brick walls of the Illinois State Journal newspaper building and the John Carmody store formed the front and back boundaries. Hardpacked dirt made up the surface. The other two sides were enclosed by wooden fences, six to eight feet high, with rough bench seating for spectators and players awaiting their turn. [4]

Court clerk Thomas W.S. Kidd recalled Lincoln’s enthusiasm and competitive nature:

“In 1859… Mr. Lincoln [was] vigorously engaged in the sport as though life depended upon it. He would play until nearly exhausted and then take a seat on the rough board benches arranged along the sides for the accommodation of friends and the tired players.” [5]

There was some dispute, however, as to how good Lincoln really was. Many said he was often the winner because his long arms and long legs were perfect for reaching and returning the ball from any angle his adversary could send it. But one young man, William Donnelly, the nephew of the store owner, Carmody, whose shop served as the backstop of the handball court, begged to differ:

“Mr. Lincoln was not a good player. He learned the game when he was too old. But he liked to play and did tolerably well." [4]

 Kidd also recounted a particularly intense match where Lincoln and his teammate, William Turney, collided while chasing a ball. Both were hurt—but, as Kidd wryly noted, “not so badly as to discourage either from being found in the ‘alley’ the next day.” [5]

🕰️ Lincoln’s Last Game

Even during the three-day Republican National Convention in Chicago (May 16–18, 1860), Lincoln reportedly played handball daily in that same Springfield lot—relieving the stress of waiting for news of his nomination to arrive by telegraph. [5]

Historians agree: Lincoln never played handball again after that week.

So it turns out, Lincoln didn’t just charge juries or run wars—he also knew how to serve up a mean handball.

🏆 Lincoln the Competitor

What drove Lincoln's love of handball—and nearly everything else in his life was Lincoln's fierce competitive streak. 

Whether on the handball court, in courtroom arguments, during stump speeches, or competitive debates, Lincoln played to win. His mastery of language, Euclid, his relentless preparation for every speech or court case, and his strategic mind weren’t just indicators of brilliance—they were also signs of a man who hated to lose. Even as Commander-in-Chief, Lincoln out-maneuvered rivals, reshaped public opinion, and fought for control of the war narrative. His competitiveness wasn’t loud or boastful—it was quiet, focused, and deeply embedded in everything he did.

Another glimpse into the archives of Abraham Lincoln—storyteller, statesman, and handball hustler.

Mac

Postscript: 

In October 2004, the Smithsonian Institution displayed what it claimed was Abraham Lincoln’s handball as part of its exhibit “Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers.” The ball—small (about the size of a tennis ball), dirty, and well-worn—came from the Lincoln Home in Springfield, where Lincoln lived with his family from 1844 to 1861. [4]

It was discovered in a dresser drawer during restoration work in the 1950s. Smithsonian officials say it was donated by descendants of one of Lincoln’s handball partners. Whether Lincoln actually used the ball is uncertain—but the possibility is undeniably intriguing. [4]

This is a handball from Abraham Lincoln's time.
(Courtesy of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.)

📚 Works Cited

[1] Burlingame, Michael and John R. Turner Ettlinger, editors. Inside Lincoln’s White House: The Complete Civil War Diary of John Hay (November 8, 1864). p. 244.

[2] "Abraham Lincoln the Athlete". Abraham Lincoln's Classroom: The Lehrman Institute Presents. Retrieved August 24, 2025.

[3] “Lincolniana Notes: Recollections of a Springfield Doctor”, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, June 1954. p. 60.

[4] Hunter, Al. "The Abraham Lincoln Handball". The Weekly View Community Newspaper (Indianapolis, IN) website, September 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2025. 

[5] Thomas W. S. Kidd, “How Abraham Lincoln Received the News of His Nomination for President,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, April-July 1922. pp. 508-509.