A Brief History of our Town :

On January 30, 1829, by legislative authority, this municipality's name was changed from "Mattanawcook" to "Lincoln" and incorporated as the 284th town in Maine. Named for Enoch Lincoln, the sixth governor of Maine, the town's early growth was considered better than that of many towns due to its intelligent and enterprising newcomers. Census records show that, during the ten-year period beginning in 1830, Lincoln's population grew from 404 to 1,121- a 177% increase.

The primary activity in the early days was lumbering. Farming was also an important activity with wheat and corn as the principal crops in the early years, and potatoes and beans later. With the rapid increase in population during the first twenty years since the arrival of the first settler, Aaron Woodbury, of Orrington, the building trades, blacksmith shops, harness makers and mercantile enterprises began to flourish. In the 1930's, Lincoln, like many communities across the country was hit hard by the Depression. These years of economic devastation changed forever the importance placed on the agrarian way of life to one of manufacturing for the Town of Lincoln. Pulp and Paper production became the primary economic activity, followed by a healthy growth in retail activity and municipal services.