Lincoln is a town in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Middlesex County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,632,002, making it the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England and the 22nd most populou ...
, United States. The population was 7,014 according to the
2020 United States census, including residents of
Hanscom Air Force Base who live within town limits. The town, located in the
MetroWest region of Boston's suburbs, has a large amount of colonial history and a sizeable amount of public conservation land.
History
Lincoln was settled by Europeans in 1654, as a part of
Concord. The majority of Lincoln was formed by splitting off a substantial piece of southeast Concord and incorporated as a separate town in 1754. Due to their "difficulties and inconveniences by reason of their distance from the places of Public Worship in their respective Towns," local inhabitants petitioned the General Court to be set apart as a separate town. Because the new town was composed of parts "nipped" off from the adjacent towns of
Concord,
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* W ...
(which itself had been part of
Watertown) and
Lexington (which itself had been part of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
), it was sometimes referred to as "Niptown."
Chambers Russell, a Representative in the Court in Boston, was influential in the town's creation. In gratitude, Russell was asked to name the new town. He chose Lincoln, after his family home in
Lincolnshire, England. His homestead in Lincoln was later known as the
Codman House property, which was occupied after his death by his relatives, the Codman family.
Lincoln is reportedly the only town in America named after
Lincoln, England (and not the Revolutionary War Major General,
Benjamin Lincoln
Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...
or President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
), although
Lincoln, New Hampshire
Lincoln is a New England town, town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the second-largest town by area in New Hampshire. The population was 1,631 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is home to the New Hamps ...
, was named for the 9th
Earl of Lincoln
Earl of Lincoln is a title that has been created eight times in the peerage of England, most recently in 1572. The Hereditary peerage, earldom was held as a subsidiary title by the Duke of Newcastle, Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyne, from 1768 to 1 ...
, an English nobleman and incorporated in 1764, 45 years before Abraham Lincoln's birth.
Paul Revere
Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...
was
captured by British soldiers in Lincoln on the night of April 18, 1775. Minutemen from Lincoln were the first to arrive to reinforce the colonists protecting American stores of ammunition and arms in Concord. Colonel Abijah Pierce of Lincoln led his troops, armed with a cane. He upgraded his weapon to a British musket after the battle. Five British soldiers who fell in Lincoln are buried in the town cemetery. A substantial portion of the first battle of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, was fought in Lincoln.
Reverend Charles Stearns (1753–1826), a Harvard-trained minister, served the
Congregational Church
Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...
in Lincoln from late 1781 until his death. Only a handful of his sermons were printed, most in the early 19th century. In addition, Stearns was principal of the Liberal School, a relatively progressive and coeducational institution that opened in early 1793. While at the school, Stearns wrote and published a number of education-related works, including ''Dramatic Dialogues for Use in Schools'' (1798), a collection of 30 original plays that were performed by the students. After the school closed in 1808, Stearns continued to tutor students privately. Among his pupils were Nathan Brooks, a Concord lawyer, and George Russell, a Lincoln physician. Stearns's published works can be accessed at
Early American Imprints, a microform and digital collection produced by the
American Antiquarian Society. A summary article that surveys Stearns as a producer of children's drama is "The Dramatic Dialogues of Charles Stearns: An Appreciation" by Jonathan Levy, in ''Spotlight on the Child: Studies in the History of American Children's Theatre'', ed. Roger L. Bedard and C. John Tolch (New York: Greenwood, 1989): 5–24.
Education
The Lincoln School District operates elementary and middle schools, while the zoned high school is
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, in
Sudbury, of the school district of that name.
Lincoln's non-base area is home to one public K–8 school, the Lincoln School. In December 2018, voters in Lincoln approved the construction of a new K–8 school building and a Proposition property tax override to pay for the school. To date $80 million financing has been raised via bond issuance for a $93.9 million renovation project at Lincoln School.
The on-post
K-8 school K8 or K-8 may refer to:
* K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas
* K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight
* K8 telephone box, designed by Bruce M ...
Hanscom School of
Hanscom Air Force Base, a base which is partially in Lincoln, is operated the Lincoln School District. Dependents of active duty military living on the base are sent to
Bedford High School of the Bedford School District. High school students living on the base who are not dependents of active duty military personnel are sent to Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High.
The private school
The Carroll School maintains its middle school in Lincoln.
Geography
Lincoln has a total area of , of which is land and is water, representing 4.26% of the town's total area. (Source:
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
.)
Demographics
At the 2000
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
,
there were 8,056 people, 2,790 households and 2,254 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 2,911 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 87.16%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 4.84%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.38%
Native American, 4.17%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.33% from
other races, and 2.09% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.97% of the population. The 21.03% drop in population between the 2010 and 2000 censuses was the largest of any municipality in Massachusetts. Diversity in the public schools is higher due to th
METCOprogram.
There were 2,790 households, of which 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. Of all households 15.8% were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.18.
Age distribution was 30.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
The
median household income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
was $120,844, and median family income was $202,704. Males had a median income of $142,788 versus $61,786 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $74,402. About 0.3% of families and 0.8% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 0.2% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.
The majority of the land in the town is zoned for residential and agricultural use.
Points of interest
*
Arborvitae Cemetery
*
Bemis Hall
*
Codman House
*
DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
*
Drumlin Farm
*
The Food Project
The Food Project is a non-profit organization that employs teenagers on farms in Lincoln, Massachusetts, Lincoln, Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury and the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Massachusetts. It focuses on community improveme ...
*
Gropius House
*
Hanscom Field and
Hanscom Air Force Base
*
Hartwell Tavern
*
Lincoln Center Historic District
*
Lincoln Public Library
*
Massachusetts Audubon Society Headquarters
*
Mount Misery
*
Virginia Road
Transportation
Commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
service from
Boston's North Station is provided by the
MBTA with
a stop in Lincoln on its
Fitchburg Line. Lincoln was previously home to a second railroad station, Baker Bridge station, which was the site of a
deadly 1905 train wreck.
In popular culture
* The 1988
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...
album
''Lincoln'' is named after the town, as it is the band's hometown.
* Lincoln is featured in the 2013 video game ''
The Last of Us'', as well as the 2023
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
television adaption, although the game indicates that Lincoln is part of Amherst County, which does not exist; the real
Amherst is a town approximately west of Lincoln.
Notable people
*
Bradford Cannon, pioneer in reconstructive surgery
*
Holly Clarke, distance runner
*
David Herbert Donald, professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning Author
*
Susan Fargo, Massachusetts state senator
*
John Farrar
John Clifford Farrar ( ; born 8 November 1946) is an Australian Record producer, music producer, songwriter, arranger, singer, and guitarist. As a musician, Farrar is a former member of several rock and roll groups including The Mustangs (1963 ...
, Harvard scientist
*
John Flansburgh, musician, co-founder of the alternative rock group
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...
*
Miriam Sophie Freud, Austrian American psychosociologist, educator, and author, the granddaughter of
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
*
Julia Glass, author
*
Diana Golden, ski racer
*
Alita Guillen, former television news anchor and reporter.
*
Harriet Louise Hardy, first woman professor at
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...
*
Mary Hartwell, who played a prominent role in the battles of Lexington and Concord
*
Maggie Hassan
Margaret Wood Hassan ( ; ; born February 27, 1958) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator for New Hampshire since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Hassan was the 81st governor of New Hampshire, ...
, Senator, New Hampshire Governor
*
Greg Hawkes, keyboardist for
The Cars
The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...
*
Charles Kindleberger, economic historian and author
*
John Linnell, musician, co-founder of the alternative rock group They Might Be Giants
*
Nicholi Rogatkin, professional cyclist
*
Joseph M. Sussman, MIT professor
*
Ray Tomlinson, computer programming pioneer, inventor of e-mail
*
Lester Thurow
Lester Carl Thurow (May 7, 1938 – March 25, 2016) was an American political economist, former dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of books on economic topics.
Education
Born in Livingston, Montana, Thurow received his B.A. ...
, Dean of MIT Sloan School, author
*
Patricia Warner, spy for
OSS during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
*
Charles Stearns Wheeler,
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical, spiritual, and literary movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in the New England region of the United States. "Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of ...
pioneer
*
Alex Taylor, distance runner
*
Frank Wood, actor
*
Robert Coldwell Wood, political scientist
See also
*
Beaver Pond
References
Further reading
''1871 Atlas of Massachusetts''.by Wall & Gra
Map of Massachusetts.Map of Middlesex County.
''History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts'', Volume 1 (A-H)
Volume 2 (L-W)
compiled by Samuel Adams Drake, published 1879 and 1880. 572 and 505 pages
Lincoln section
by William F. Wheeler in volume 2 pages 34–43.
* 1940 US Census: enumeration district
9-207
an
9-208
External links
Town of Lincoln official websiteLincoln Public Schools
{{authority control
Towns in Massachusetts
Towns in Middlesex County, Massachusetts