Most of Lincoln was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Its Register listing is the Bean Cemetery. Below: maps from 1913 on and the census since 1910.
The Lincoln post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1907. Another post office, Georgetown (1884), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 292 in 19102020 census: 2,294141 years
How historic is Lincoln?
C
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Lincoln post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1907.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lincoln’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lincoln is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lincoln’s overall grade.
Arkansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Arkansas town has 20.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lincoln’s 3.6 sits below most of its state (32% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±6.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1907.
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.
The area around Lincoln first saw white settlement in the late 1820s. It was first known as Blackjack after the blackjack oaks used to build the first schoolhouse. Joseph Carter built the first store in the area in 1874, still known as Blackjack. A nearby community on Beaty Mountain known as Mt. Hayes was settled in 1877. Starr Hill Township was also organized in the area during this period. The settlements drifted together and continued to grow until applying for a post office in 1884 within Carter's store under the name Georgetown. The name was rejected; the postal service not wanting to duplicate Georgetown in White County, Arkansas (or Georgetown, Madison County, Arkansas). Carter submitted Lincoln as the new name. He said he chose the name seemingly at random, having "seen it on a box", but others were skeptical that Carter had wanted to name the community for Abraham Lincoln all a…
chap. xvi. Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, California, and Oregon — all the Lincoln electors were chosen. In one of the free States (New Jersey) the choice resulted in 4 electors for Lincoln and 3 for Douglas, as already explained. This assured Lincoln of the votes of 180 Presidential electors, or a majority of 57 in the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
friend to write an emphatic denial, so that it might come to Lincoln's knowledge. On the other hand, newspapers ventured the suggestion that Lincoln might retaliate by a combination against Seward's Presidential aspirations. Rival politicians in Illinois were suspicious of each other, and did not hesitate to communicate their suspicions to Lincoln. Personal friends, of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Lincoln, 1884 to 1970
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lincoln.
Every building
Lincoln, building by building, 1913–1918
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1913Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Lincoln
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Lincoln’s post office has been open since 1885. Another post office, Georgetown, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Georgetown
1884–1885
Lincoln
1885–today
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Starr Hill Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lincoln
BeanCheatham
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Lincoln’s history
What year was Lincoln founded?
The Lincoln post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1907.
How does Lincoln rank for history?
Lincoln is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns. 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 Bean Cemetery (listed 1994).
How old are the homes in Lincoln?
8% of Lincoln’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (7), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2017
2017
2017
2016
2012
2012
2012
