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.