Lincoln’s post office opened in 1856, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns · #106 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Lincoln was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1972 on, and the census since 1920.
The Lincoln post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Kingsville (1850) and Eureka (1874), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 498 in 19202020 census: 6,845170 years
How did Lincoln get its name?
Lincoln was named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who served in the American army during the Revolutionary War.
How historic is Lincoln?
C
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Lincoln post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
History grade
What drives Lincoln’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lincoln is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #106 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lincoln’s overall grade.
Alabama towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Alabama town has 2.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lincoln’s 4.1 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Lincoln’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lincoln yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lincoln is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1911. At the 2020 census, the population was 6,845. It was named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who served in the American army during the Revolutionary War. The Talladega Superspeedway, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Talladega Municipal Airport are all located in Lincoln.
Its first post office opened in 1856. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,266 to 6,845 (+9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Lincoln, 1850 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Lincoln, census by census
Grew from 498 people in 1920 to 6,845 in 2020, more than tenfold.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lincoln’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Lincoln’s history
What year was Lincoln founded?
The Lincoln post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Lincoln rank for history?
Lincoln is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #106 of 187 in Alabama. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Lincoln?
One place: the Talladega County High School (listed 2023).
How old are the homes in Lincoln?
2% of Lincoln’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1993.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1941
2026
2017
2013