The Town of Lincoln is a small suburb west of Boston with a strong sense of place. It began as a rural farming community made up of pieces of land nipped from adjacent towns; hence its nickname was once “Niptown.” The town also became a popular site for country estates, of which some have become schools, museums, town buildings or parks. Retention of open space and protection of its rural character against an encroaching age of urban development are extremely important to the community.
Incorporated in 1754, Lincoln is reportedly the only town in America named after Lincoln, England, and not the Revolutionary War Major General, Benjamin Lincoln or President Abraham Lincoln (neither of whom had come to prominence at the time of the town’s founding).
Paul Revere was captured by British soldiers in Lincoln on the night of April 18, 1775. The following day marked the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, and Minutemen from Lincoln were the first to arrive to reinforce the colonists protecting American stores of ammunition and arms in Concord. The site of his capture and the ensuing battles are commemorated by Minute Man National Historical Park.
