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History · Lincoln

Lincoln’s post office opened in 1899

Most of Lincoln was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1910.

1899first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Lincoln began

When was Lincoln founded?

1899

The Lincoln post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 122 in 19102020 census: 305127 years
Founding year: the first Lincoln post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Lincoln’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 are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 441 in 1960; 305 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lincoln’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Lincoln, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 441

Peaked at 441 in 1960; 305 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Lincoln, in brief

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 village in Alcona County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 305 at the 2020 census. The village is situated on the boundary between Gustin Township on the south and Hawes Township on the north. The Lincoln 48742 ZIP Code covers a much larger area extending into the townships of Alcona, Caledonia, and Haynes.

Its first post office opened in 1899. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 337 to 305 (-9%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Lincoln on the map, 1959 to 1989

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lincoln. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Lincoln on the 1959 USGS mapLincoln on the 1989 USGS map1959Harrisville sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Lincoln

Nobody well known was born in Lincoln itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Michael Bailey SmithAmerican actor · b. 1957
S
Stanley GrenzAmerican theologian · b. 1950
J. Scott CampbellAmerican comic book artist · b. 1973
Jeff JanisAmerican football player · b. 1991
Donald B. DuncanUnited States admiral · b. 1896
William ComstockAmerican politician · b. 1877

Questions about Lincoln’s history

What year was Lincoln founded?

The Lincoln post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.