Lincoln

History

In 1764, colonial Governor Benning Wentworth granted to a group of approximately 70 land investors from Connecticut. Lincoln was named after Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle, 9th Earl of Lincoln – a cousin of the Wentworth governors. He held the position of comptroller of customs for the port of London under King George II and George III, which was important to trade between America and England. The town was settled about 1782. The 1790 census indicates that it had 22 inhabitants. Rocky soil yielded poor farming, but the area's abundant timber, combined with water power to run sawmills on the Pemigewasset River and its East Branch, helped Lincoln develop into a center for logging. By 1853, the Merrimack River Lumber Company was operating. The railroad transported freight, and increasingly brought tourists to the beautiful mountain region. In 1892, James Everell Henry (1831–1912) bought approximately of virgin timber and established a logging enterprise at what is today the center of Lincoln. In 1902, he built a pulp and paper mill. He erected the Lincoln House hotel in 1903, although a 1907 fire would nearly raze the community. Until he died in 1912, Henry controlled his company town, installing relatives in positions of civic authority. In 1917, Henry's heirs sold the business to the Parker Young Company, which in turn sold it to the Marcalus Manufacturing Company in 1946. Franconia Paper took over in 1950, producing 150 tons of paper a day until bankruptcy in 1971, at which time new river classification standards discouraged further papermaking in Lincoln. Tourism is today the principal business. Nearby Loon Mountain has long drawn skiers, and in recent years has attempted to convert itself into a four-season attraction. The Flume is one of…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.43% of the town. Kancamagus Pass, elevation , is on the Kancamagus Highway at the eastern boundary. The highest point in Lincoln is the summit of Mount Bond at above sea level.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Lin-Wood Public School (Elem)
  Elementary · Lincoln · 112 students · 7:1 ratio
• Lin-Wood Public School (High)
  High · Lincoln · 87 students · 7.3:1 ratio
• Lin-Wood Public School (Middle)
  Middle · Lincoln · 69 students · 7.7:1 ratio