Lincoln, Massachusetts Facts for Kids

Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In 2020, about 7,014 people lived there. This number includes people from Hanscom Air Force Base who live within the town.

Lincoln is located in the MetroWest area, which is a part of Boston's suburbs. The town has a rich history from the colonial times. It also has a lot of land set aside for nature and public use.

History of Lincoln
Education in Lincoln
Geography of Lincoln
Population and People
Places to Visit in Lincoln
Transportation in Lincoln
Famous People from Lincoln
See also

History of Lincoln

Lincoln was first settled by Europeans in 1654. At that time, it was part of a larger town called Concord.

Becoming a Separate Town

Most of Lincoln was formed by taking a big piece from southeast Concord. It became its own town in 1754. People living there found it hard to travel to their churches in other towns. So, they asked the government to become a separate town.

Because the new town was made from parts of Concord, Weston, and Lexington, people sometimes called it "Niptown." This name came from the idea that pieces were "nipped" off other towns.

How Lincoln Got Its Name

Chambers Russell was a representative in the court in Boston. He helped a lot in creating the new town. To thank him, people asked Russell to name the town. He chose "Lincoln" after his family's home in Lincolnshire, England.

His home in Lincoln later became known as the Codman House. After he passed away, his relatives, the Codman family, lived there. Lincoln is thought to be the only town in America named after Lincoln, England. It was not named after famous Americans like Benjamin Lincoln or Abraham Lincoln.

Revolutionary War Events

On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was captured by British soldiers in Lincoln. This happened on the night before the famous battles.

Minutemen from Lincoln were the first to arrive to help the colonists. They were protecting American supplies of weapons in Concord. Colonel Abijah Pierce of Lincoln led his troops. He started with a cane but later used a British musket after the battle.

Five British soldiers who died in Lincoln are buried in the town cemetery. A big part of the first battle of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, happened in Lincoln.

Early Education and Literature

Reverend Charles Stearns was a minister in Lincoln from 1781 until he died in 1826. He also ran the Liberal School, which opened in 1793. This school was quite modern for its time and allowed both boys and girls to attend.

While at the school, Stearns wrote and published books for education. One famous book was Dramatic Dialogues for Use in Schools (1798). It had 30 original plays that students performed. After the school closed in 1808, Stearns continued to teach students privately.

Education in Lincoln

The Lincoln School District manages elementary and middle schools. For high school, students attend Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. This high school is located in Sudbury.

Lincoln Public Schools

Lincoln has one public school for students from kindergarten to 8th grade. It is called the Lincoln School. In 2018, people in Lincoln voted to build a new K-8 school building. They also approved a special tax to help pay for it. About $80 million has been raised for this $93.9 million project.

Hanscom Air Force Base Schools

The Hanscom Air Force Base is partly located in Lincoln. The K-8 school on the base, Hanscom School, is also run by the Lincoln School District. Children of active military members living on the base go to Bedford High School. Other high school students living on the base go to Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High.

Private Schools

The Carroll School, a private school, has its middle school campus in Lincoln.

Geography of Lincoln

Lincoln covers a total area of about 15.0 square miles (38.9 square kilometers). Of this, 14.4 square miles (37.2 square kilometers) is land. The remaining 0.6 square miles (1.7 square kilometers) is water. This means about 4.26% of the town's area is water.

Population and People

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1850	719	—
1860	718	−0.1%
1870	791	+10.2%
1880	907	+14.7%
1890	987	+8.8%
1900	1,127	+14.2%
1910	1,175	+4.3%
1920	1,042	−11.3%
1930	1,493	+43.3%
1940	1,783	+19.4%
1950	2,427	+36.1%
1960	5,613	+131.3%
1970	7,567	+34.8%
1980	7,098	−6.2%
1990	7,666	+8.0%
2000	8,056	+5.1%
2010	6,362	−21.0%
2020	7,014	+10.2%
2022*	6,855	−2.3%
* = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.

In 2020, Lincoln had a population of 7,014 people. The town's population density was about 487 people per square mile (188.5 people per square kilometer).

In 2000, there were 8,056 people living in Lincoln. About 45.6% of households had children under 18. Most households (73.4%) were married couples. The average household had 2.83 people.

The median age in Lincoln was 35 years old. About 30.7% of the population was under 18. The public schools in Lincoln have more diversity thanks to the METCO program. This program brings students from Boston to suburban schools.

Most of the land in Lincoln is used for homes and farming.

Places to Visit in Lincoln

Lincoln has many interesting places to explore:

Arborvitae Cemetery
Bemis Hall
Codman House
DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
Drumlin Farm
The Food Project
Gropius House
Hanscom Field and Hanscom Air Force Base
Hartwell Tavern
Lincoln Center Historic District
Lincoln Public Library
Massachusetts Audubon Society Headquarters
Mount Misery
Virginia Road

Transportation in Lincoln

You can travel to Lincoln by train from Boston's North Station. The MBTA provides this service. There is a train stop in Lincoln on the Fitchburg Line.

Lincoln used to have another train station called Baker Bridge. In 1905, a serious train accident happened there.

Famous People from Lincoln

Many notable people have lived in Lincoln:

Bradford Cannon, a pioneer in reconstructive surgery.
David Herbert Donald, a professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
John Flansburgh, a musician and co-founder of the band They Might Be Giants.
Julia Glass, an author.
Diana Golden, a disabled ski racer.
Maggie Hassan, a Senator and former New Hampshire Governor.
Greg Hawkes, keyboardist for the band The Cars.
John Linnell, a musician and co-founder of the band They Might Be Giants.
Nicholi Rogatkin, a professional bike rider.
Ray Tomlinson, a computer programming pioneer who invented e-mail.
Frank Wood, a Tony Award-winning actor.

Lincoln, Massachusetts facts for kids

Contents