Naming a New Town Lincoln
The town of Lincoln has a long colonial history, but its name comes from a much earlier place across the Atlantic.
Lincoln was incorporated in 1754 and when the new town was created, residents chose the name Lincoln after the historic English city of Lincoln, England.
Naming towns after English places was very common in colonial New England. Many settlers wanted their new communities to reflect the heritage of the towns and regions they had come from in England. The English city of Lincoln was already well known for its medieval cathedral and long history dating back to Roman times, making it a recognizable and respectable name for a new Massachusetts town.
Today Lincoln remains one of the more rural communities in eastern Massachusetts. Large areas of conservation land, farms and historic properties give the town a landscape that still reflects much of its early character.
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Paul Revere’s Capture Site
This quiet memorial marks the site of Paul Revere’s capture on the night of April 18-19, 1775. After leaving Boston and successfully alerting towns along the way, Revere joined fellow rider William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott as they continued toward Concord. British patrol officers hidden along the road intercepted them in the darkness. Revere was captured, […]
Gropius House
We have visited the Gropius House in Lincoln several times, and often the tours were international. More than once, we found ourselves alongside visitors from Europe, particularly Germany, drawn here because of the reputation of the man who designed and lived in this remarkable home. The house was built in 1938 by Walter Gropius, one of […]
The John Nelson House
When most people visit Minute Man National Historical Park, they come to experience the events of April 19, 1775. Yet scattered throughout the park are homes that tell another story: the story of what happened after the Revolution. The John Nelson House is one of them. Built beginning around 1808, the house stands on land […]
