Known primarily for its beautiful natural surroundings,
Lincoln is situated at the foot of Mount Abraham and the village
center rests on the banks of the New Haven River. Surrounded
by forests and farms, the town values its scenic beauty and
rural character. Lincoln is about a half-hour drive from major
ski areas Mad River Glen and Sugarbush.
Though the majority of the population of 1200
residents lies scattered over 44.4 square miles, the small
village center has a landmark church, the Old Hotel, a General
Store, a new modern library, an exceptional elementary school,
a cooperative preschool, and a recently renovated Burnham Hall
which hosts events from elections to town meetings to concerts
to plays. Bristol (pop. 3500) lies 7 miles away in the valley
below. The larger Middlebury (pop. 9000) is another 13 miles
farther southwest. Middlebury College hosts frequent cultural
events and is home to a summer language school that promotes
many foreign language happenings. Burlington, the state’s
largest city and home of the University of Vermont is about
an hour north.
Settled originally by Quakers and chartered in
1780, Lincoln Town, unlike the mountain, was not named for
our 16th president who had not yet been born. Colonel Benjamin
Simmons, the holder of the charter, named the town after Major
General Benjamin Lincoln, under whom he had served and who
had played a vital role in getting the Massachusetts Militia
to Bennington, Vermont to repel the British in 1777.
Much of this information
is taken from the town history published by the Lincoln Historical
Society.
