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C+History
History · Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park dates to 1921, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #513 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Its Register listing is the Lincoln Park Post Office. Below: maps from 1985 on and the census since 1930.

1921founded
1on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Lincoln Park began

When was Lincoln Park founded?

1921

Lincoln Park dates its founding to 1921 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 12,336 in 19302020 census: 40,245105 years

How historic is Lincoln Park?

C+

More historic than 36% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1954.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Lincoln Park’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lincoln Park is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #513 of 701 in Michigan. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lincoln Park’s overall grade.
Founding era1921, from Wikipedia: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 194013.7% of homes (±2.4) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register1 listing, 0.3 per 10,000 residents · typical MI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 36%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 27%

Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lincoln Park’s 0.3 sits near the middle of its state (63% of Michigan 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 B. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1921.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Park’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Lincoln Park are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 53,933 in 1960; 40,245 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Lincoln Park’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lincoln Park’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lincoln Park’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Lincoln Park, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,00019401960198020002020Peak: 53,933

Peaked at 53,933 in 1960; 40,245 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lincoln Park’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Lincoln Park came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lincoln Park.

Read it all →

Long before Lincoln Park was incorporated as a city, an area along the Ecorse River was the site of a pivotal meeting during Pontiac's Rebellion. On April 27, 1763, a council of several American Indian tribes from the Detroit region listened to a speech from the Ottawa leader Pontiac. Pontiac urged the listeners to join him in a surprise attack on the British Fort Detroit, which they attempted on May 9. Today, the area is known as Council Point Park, and a small engraved boulder marks the site of the historic meeting.

Neighborhoods were first laid in the area of Ecorse Township that would become Lincoln Park in 1906. It was incorporated as a village in 1921, and as a city in 1925.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lincoln Park, 1921 to 1985

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1921
    FoundingLincoln Park is established
  3. 1928Born hereDoris Neal is born here
  4. 1933Born hereArnold Earley is born here
  5. 1954Post officeThe Lincoln Park post office opens
  6. 1959Born hereBill Morrison is born here
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 53,933
  8. 1981Born hereDamian Surma is born here
  9. 1985On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Lincoln Park, decade by decade

Today14 recent
Lincoln Park, MI Southfield-Fort2019Lincoln Park, MI Southfield-FortMeijer (Lincoln Park, Michigan) 12017Meijer (Lincoln Park, Michigan) 1Lincoln Park Shopping Center2015Lincoln Park Shopping CenterLPSS vacantstrip2015LPSS vacantstripPeople's Choice Transmission2012People's Choice TransmissionPeople's Choice Transmission - panoramio (1)2012People's Choice Transmission - panoramio (1)Bus stop for Detroit Metro Airport2012Bus stop for Detroit Metro AirportBus schedule for route 125 of SMART bus2012Bus schedule for route 125 of SMART busTemple Baptist Church, 1706 Goddard2011Temple Baptist Church, 1706 GoddardHoly Incarnation Orthodox Church, 1385 Goddard Rd2011Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church, 1385 Goddard RdMellusNewspaperBuildingLincolnParkMiDEMOLISHED2010MellusNewspaperBuildingLincolnParkMiDEMOLISHEDLincolnParkMiPostOffice2010LincolnParkMiPostOfficeMIMap-doton-LincolnPark2005MIMap-doton-LincolnParkEcorse River2005Ecorse River
On the map

Lincoln Park on the map in 1985

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lincoln Park.

Lincoln Park on the 1985 USGS map1985Detroit sheet · 1:100,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lincoln Park.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Lincoln Park

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2004
Lincoln Park Post Office
Lincoln Park Post Office
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Lincoln Park Post OfficeClassical Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Lincoln Park

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
B
Bill MorrisonComic book artist and writer · b. 1959
A
Arnold EarleyAmerican baseball player · b. 1933
D
Damian SurmaAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1981
D
Doris NealAmerican baseball player · b. 1928
L
Larry PashnickAmerican baseball player · b. 1956
Glenn GoerkeAmerican academic administrator · b. 1931
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Wyandotte7 historic placesA−EcorseIts storyB−Detroit282 historic placesA+Allen ParkIts storyDMelvindaleIts storyC−SouthgateIts storyD

Questions about Lincoln Park’s history

What year was Lincoln Park founded?

In 1921, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lincoln Park’s post office opened in 1954, and the census of 1930 counted 12,336 people here.

How does Lincoln Park rank for history?

Lincoln Park is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #513 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Park?

One place: the Lincoln Park Post Office (listed 2004).

How old are the homes in Lincoln Park?

14% of Lincoln Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1954.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (14), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.