Repainting the Lincoln Home isn't your usual summer maintenance job.

The Springfield home where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 until assuming the presidency in 1861 is getting a makeover -- repainting, repairs to shutters and windows, railing work and the kind of common repairs that come with a home visited by more than 233,000 people in 2015. The goal, said site Superintendent Dale Phillips, is to complete the work for the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service on Aug. 25.

The last extensive refurbishing was nearly 10 years ago, said Phillips.

Then again, repainting one of the country's most recognized homes is not as simple as picking up a brush and a few gallons of a historic paint at the local hardware store. The Lincoln Home job requires 55 gallons of custom-mixed paint. Each step of painting and repairs is closely monitored to ensure the historical integrity of the work.

"It goes through my superiors and the historic architect," said Phillips. "It's a very, very strict set of historic compliance checks that we have to follow."

The home remains open to tours during the work.

Lincoln's home was last refurbished and repainted in 2007 in preparation for the 2009 bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, a year when attendance surged to more than 464,000.

The exterior color, "Quaker brown," is based on historic photographs from the 1800s, newspaper clippings from the era and a painted brick found in the attic during a 1987 renovation. There also was some educated guesswork on the original color of Lincoln's home, according to historic researchers.

The Lincoln Home National Historic Site was added to the park service in 1972 and remained the only fully staffed national park in Illinois until the designation in 2015 of the Pullman National Monument in Chicago. The Chicago park highlights the contributions of famed industrialist George Pullman to the rail-car industry and the commercial development of Chicago in the 1800s.

Nearly 120,000 people visited the Lincoln Home site through the first six months of 2016, up slightly from the same period of 2015. As with parks across the country, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site is holding a series of 100th anniversary events. While the park does not track visitor travel origins, Phillips said his own and ranger observations are that international visits are up this year.

One indication is regular use of iPads that provide a narrative of Lincoln Home tours in more than a half-dozen languages, including American sign language, said Laura Gundrum, chief of interpretation for the historic site. Spanish, French, Japanese and Chinese are among the more common requests.

"They have pictures of each room, and subtexts in foreign languages," said Gundrum. "As they are listening to the ranger, they can understand what's going on in the room."

A group of 44 Chinese visitors toured the home on Thursday. An interpreter for the group from Chicago said he brings tours to the Lincoln Home "at least once a week."

In response to the increase in foreign visitors, Gundrum said the site expects to have printed booklets in 10 languages ready this fall -- including Latin Spanish, the Spanish spoken in Spain, French, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Korean and Italian.

"It's especially popular in the summer," said Gundrum. "It's getting to be a daily thing."

— Contact Tim Landis: tim.landis@sj-r.com, 788-1536, twitter.com/timlandisSJR.

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Visiting Lincoln Home

Annual attendance at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site 2006-2016

* 2006: 388,887. (year Lincoln Presidential Museum opened).

* 2007: 358,809.

* 2008: 335,473.

* 2009: 464,074 (bicentennial of Lincoln's birth).

* 2010: 354,125.

* 2011: 296,214.

* 2012: 295,464.

* 2013: 209,405.

* 2014: 218,132.

* 2015: 233,299.

Source: National Park Service

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Another record year nationally?

National parks are in for another record year from a combination of cheaper gasoline, proximity, uncertainty overseas and the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, according to AAA Chicago.

Visits to the nation's nearly 370 parks hit a record 307 million in 2015.

According to an AAA survey released this week, nearly 80 percent of travelers said they are "likely" to visit a national park this year. Nearly three-quarters described this as a "must see" destination. More than 90 percent said they would drive to the parks. The National Park Service has announced that fees will be waived for parks that charge admission from Aug. 25-28 and Sept. 24 to Nov. 11.

The Lincoln Home National Historic Site does not charge admission.

The most-visited national parks in 2015 were:

* Great Smokey Mountains; 10.7 million.

* Grand Canyon; 5.5 million.

* Rocky Mountain; 4.16 million.

* Yosemite; 4.1 million.

* Yellowstone; 4.1 million.

AAA spokeswoman Beth Mosher said cheaper gasoline typically boosts attendance at drive-to destinations. She added that U.S. travelers apparently have become more cautious about travel overseas in light of recent terrorist attacks.

"It's anecdotal from looking at national travel books, and what local and national travel agents are telling us," Mosher said in an email.

-- Tim Landis