7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 48 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lincoln Center’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lincoln Center is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lincoln Center’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lincoln Center’s 531 sits above most of its state (100% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 54 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.6 points). Two sources give 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Center’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lincoln Center. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Beloit sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lincoln Center.
On the National Register
7 listings protect 54 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Settler George Green founded the town of Lincoln in 1870, naming it after the county. "Center" was added to its name to indicate its location in the central part of the county. County residents initially voted to place the county seat in Lincoln Center. Elections in November 1870 resulted in the seat relocating to nearby Abram, sparking a county seat war. Another vote in February 1872 reversed the switch, and Lincoln Center again became the county seat. Residents relocated all the buildings in Abram to Lincoln, merging the two communities. The town was incorporated as the city of Lincoln Center in 1879, and is officially referred to as such in the United States Census. Both the city government and local chamber of commerce refer to the city as Lincoln, and it appears as such on state maps and signs.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Lincoln Centre, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Lincoln Centre
1870–1878
Lincoln
1878–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Lincoln
1cemetery inside Lincoln Center
Lincoln
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Lincoln Center’s history
What year was Lincoln Center founded?
In 1870, according to Wikidata. Lincoln Center’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1880 counted 422 people here.
How does Lincoln Center rank for history?
Lincoln Center is more historic than 88% 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 Center?
7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Lincoln County Courthouse (listed 1976, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Lincoln City Park and the Lincoln Downtown Historic District, with 48 contributing buildings. 54 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Lincoln Center?
43% of Lincoln Center’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.6 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
