Lincoln, Vermont

Last updated

Lincoln, Vermont
Lincoln, Vermont (6146877958).jpg
LincolnVTseal.jpg
Addison County Vermont incorporated and unincorporated areas Lincoln highlighted.svg
Location in Addison County and the state of Vermont.
Coordinates: 44°5′31″N72°58′53″W / 44.09194°N 72.98139°W / 44.09194; -72.98139
CountryUnited States
State Vermont
County Addison
Chartered1780
Settled1790
Organized1798
CommunitiesLincoln
Downingville
South Lincoln
West Lincoln
Area
  Total44.6 sq mi (115.5 km2)
  Land44.4 sq mi (115.0 km2)
  Water0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation
1,263 ft (385 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total1,323
  Density30/sq mi (11.5/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
05443
Area code 802
FIPS code 50-40075 [1]
GNIS feature ID1462135 [2]
Website www.lincolnvermont.org

Lincoln is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. Lincoln is at the base of Mount Abraham in the Green Mountains. It was settled by Quakers in the late 18th century. The population was 1,323 at the 2020 census. [3] Lincoln is known for its rural beauty and its proximity to two Vermont ski areas, Mad River Glen and Sugarbush.

Contents

Geography

Lincoln is in northeastern Addison County in the Green Mountains. The Long Trail runs along the crest of the Green Mountains near the town's eastern border, with elevations ranging from 2,430 feet (740 m) at Lincoln Gap to 4,006 feet (1,221 m) at the summit of Mount Abraham. The lowest elevation in town is 840 feet (260 m) above sea level near West Lincoln, where the New Haven River exits the town.

The Lincoln Gap Road crosses the Green Mountains at Lincoln Gap, connecting the village of Lincoln on the west with the town of Warren to the east. But it is only open in the summer, so the town is principally accessed via Bristol. The village of South Lincoln is in the southern part of the town, along the New Haven River. There are no numbered state highways in Lincoln.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 44.6 square miles (115.5 km2), of which 44.4 square miles (115.0 km2) are land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km2), or 0.43%, are water. [4]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1800 97
1810 255162.9%
1820 2789.0%
1830 639129.9%
1840 77020.5%
1850 1,05737.3%
1860 1,0701.2%
1870 1,1749.7%
1880 1,36816.5%
1890 1,255−8.3%
1900 1,152−8.2%
1910 980−14.9%
1920 841−14.2%
1930 800−4.9%
1940 745−6.9%
1950 577−22.6%
1960 481−16.6%
1970 59924.5%
1980 87045.2%
1990 97412.0%
2000 1,21424.6%
2010 1,2714.7%
2020 1,3234.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

As of the census [1] of 2000, there were 1,214 people, 462 households, and 339 families residing in the town. The population density was 27.6 people per square mile (10.7/km2). There were 566 housing units at an average density of 12.9 per square mile (5.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.53% White, 0.16% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.

There were 462 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 27.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,750, and the median income for a family was $51,369. Males had a median income of $30,455 versus $25,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,092. About 4.3% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

Lincoln was chartered to Colonel Benjamin Simonds and 64 associates on November 9, 1780. As commander of the Massachusetts militia, Simonds fought at the Battle of Bennington in 1777. He named the new town in honor of his commanding officer, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who played a vital role in getting the militia to Vermont. General Lincoln was respected and well liked by his contemporaries. [6]

Like Ferrisburgh and several other Addison County towns, Lincoln was settled by members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. The first Quakers settled in an area known as Mud Flat about 1795. As other Quakers joined the original group, the area became known as Quaker Stand. The meeting house is gone and the Society has dispersed, but one part of Lincoln village is still called Quaker Street. [6] Lincoln's town government was officially organized in 1798, when the first town meeting was held in the log cabin of early settler Jedediah Durfee. [7]

The Lincoln General Store in Lincoln Center, a main community hub. Lincoln General Store.jpg
The Lincoln General Store in Lincoln Center, a main community hub.

Until the latter part of the 20th century, Lincoln's economy centered around smallholder agriculture, ironworks, and mills. The earliest export products were potash and timber, sold by homesteading farmers after clearing their land. The town's population and economy peaked in the 1880s, when 15 lumber mills in town made shingles and clapboard, employing around 100 men. Dairies and potato farming comprised much of the rest of the town's industry. Lincoln also grew to comprise the settlements of Downingsville and West, South, and Center Lincoln, bringing it to its present area of 44 square miles. The town's proximity to the New Haven River has caused destructive floods in its history, in 1830, 1869, 1938, 1976, and 1998. [6]

In 1919, Lincoln-born businessman Walter S. Burnham left a significant endowment to the town in his will, resulting in the creation of the Burnham Trust, a fund intended to "be expended for educational, charitable, and musical purposes." The Trust provided funding for the construction of Burnham Hall, a community meeting place and formerly the town library, as well as establishing a scholarship fund for future Lincoln students. Burnham Hall remains the site of Lincoln's town meeting. [7]

Burnham Hall in Lincoln, the town's central meeting place. BurnhamHall.jpg
Burnham Hall in Lincoln, the town's central meeting place.

Lincoln underwent a significant contraction in the mid-20th century, as its resource-based livelihoods dried up and families moved away. Dairy farms were unable to compete with larger, centralized enterprises elsewhere in the state and country. For Lincoln, the industry's death knell came in the 1980s, when the federal government offered to buy out smaller farms in an attempt to raise the price of milk and thereby make the industry more profitable; Lincoln's last dairy closed in 1992. Most of the mills and other industry also closed by the end of the century, though one pallet mill remains in operation. In 1968 Lincoln lost its post office (and thus its ZIP code) when postal services were transferred to Bristol. [8]

In the 21st century, Lincoln's population has rebounded almost to its peak. Its proximity to the Green Mountains, tranquility, and well-supported community services have made it attractive as a residential community. Most working-age adults commute to jobs in neighboring towns, but Lincoln still has a general store, hotel, and multiple small-batch maple syrup producers, with some larger producers (the largest has 35,000 trees tapped). [6]

On September 11, 2010, the first Tibetan Buddhist nunnery in North America was consecrated in Lincoln. [9]

Community

Lincoln is home to a community church, the United Church of Lincoln, which is in the center of town at the bottom of Quaker Street. [10] The Lincoln General Store serves as a main community hub, as there is no post office or gas station in town. [11] [12]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windsor County, Vermont</span> County in Vermont, United States

Windsor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,753. The shire town is the town of Woodstock. The county's largest municipality is the town of Hartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington County, Vermont</span> County in Vermont, United States

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. Named after George Washington, its shire town is the city of Montpelier and the most populous municipality is the city of Barre. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,807, making it the third-most populous county in Vermont, but the third-least populous capital county in the United States after Hughes County, South Dakota and Franklin County, Kentucky. Washington County comprises the Barre, Vermont micropolitan statistical area. In 2010, the center of population of Vermont was located in Washington County, in the town of Warren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addison County, Vermont</span> County in Vermont, United States

Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town is the town of Middlebury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridport, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Bridport is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was founded October 9, 1761. The population was 1,225 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Bridport, a town in the west of the county of Dorset, in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Bristol is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was chartered on June 26, 1762, by the colonial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The charter was granted to Samuel Averill and sixty-three associates in the name of Pocock—in honor of a distinguished English admiral of that name. The population was 3,782 at the 2020 census. Main Street is home to most of the businesses of the town. The town is also home to the Lord's Prayer Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Cornwall is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded November 3, 1761. The population was 1,207 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granville, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Granville is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 301 at the 2020 census. The town was originally called Kingston but was renamed in 1833.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hancock, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Hancock is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for John Hancock. The population was 359 at the 2020 census. Hancock is home to the Middlebury College Snow Bowl and contains Middlebury Gap through the Green Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Leicester is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 990 at the 2020 census. It should be clearly understood that alleged "Satans Kingdom" is a ficticious place that no one in Leicester knows anything about, not even the town clerk. Google and other map apps seem to love to push such a ficticious place, which may clue us all in to who they are. Satans Kingdom is a fiction in the minds of the owners of Google, Yahoo, etc., and the people of Leicester firmly protest and reject its being put on the map of our town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkton, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Monkton, also known as Monkton Boro, is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,079 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Haven, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

New Haven is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,683 at the 2020 census. In addition to the town center, New Haven contains the communities of Belden, Brooksville, New Haven Junction and New Haven Mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orwell, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Orwell is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,239 at the 2020 census. Mount Independence was the largest fortification constructed by the American colonial forces. The 300-acre (1.2 km2) site is now one of Vermont's premier state-operated historic sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ripton, Vermont</span> Town in the United States

Ripton is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 739 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starksboro, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Starksboro is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,756 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weybridge, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Weybridge is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 814 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Charlotte is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Queen Charlotte, though unlike Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlottesville, Virginia, and other cities and towns that bear her name, the town's name is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable. The population of the town was 3,912 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawlet, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Pawlet is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,424 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlebury (CDP), Vermont</span> Census-designated place in Vermont, United States

Middlebury is the main settlement in the town of Middlebury in Addison County, Vermont, United States, and a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 7,304 at the 2020 census, out of a total population of 9,152 in the town of Middlebury. Most of the village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Middlebury Village Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlebury, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Middlebury is the shire town of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.

References

  1. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. "Census - Geography Profile: Lincoln town, Addison County, Vermont". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Lincoln town, Addison County, Vermont". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "History of Lincoln" (PDF). lincolnvermont.org. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Reed, Richard (1980). Lincoln: History of a Mountain Town (1st ed.). Town of Lincoln, Vermont. p. 105.
  8. Lincoln - Entering the 21st Century (1st ed.). Rutland, Vermont: The Lincoln Historical Society. 2007.
  9. "Buddhist monastery for women opens in Bristol". The Sun. Ticonderoga, NY. September 15, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2024. The first Tibetan Buddhist nunnery in North America was consecrated in Lincoln on Sept. 11.
  10. "United Church of Lincoln Website". United Church of Lincoln. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  11. "The Lincoln General Store Sale". Vaneasa Stearns, Front Porch Forum. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  12. "Thank You, Vaneasa: Lincoln applauds a key citizen". The Addison Independent. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  13. Boaz, Amy (January 4, 1999). "Chris Bohjalian: On the Fringes of Modern Life". Publishers Weekly . New York, NY: PWxyz, LLC. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  14. Holmes, Frank R., ed. (1924). Who's Who In New York City and State (Eighth ed.). New York, NY: Who's Who Publications, Inc. p. 189 via Google Books.
  15. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. VIII. New York, NY: James T. White & Company. 1898. p. 376 via Google Books.
  16. Kirkpatrick, David D. (June 5, 2008). "William Odom, 75, National Security Director, Dies". The New York Times . New York, NY.
  17. "Speaker's Biography, Elizabeth Ready". TEDxMiddlebury. Middlebury, VT: Middlebury College. November 8, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  18. Pollak, Sally (July 17, 2001). "Lincoln naturalist, writer Rood dies at 81". The Burlington Free Press . Burlington, VT. p. 3B via Newspapers.com.
  19. Martin, Douglas (December 10, 2005). "Roger Shattuck, Scholar, Is Dead at 82". The New York Times . New York, NY.