Lincoln County, North Carolina: History and Information

Lincoln County, North Carolina

Lincoln County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Lincolnton
Year Organized: 1778
Square Miles: 299

Court House:

115 W Main St
County Courthouse
Lincolnton, NC 28092-2601

Etymology - Origin of County Name

It was named in honor of General Benjamin Lincoln, a distinguished general of the Revolution whom George Washington appointed to receive the sword of Cornwallis when he surrendered at Yorktown.

Demographics:

History

Lincoln was formed in 1779 from Tryon. It was named in honor of General Benjamin Lincoln, a distinguished general of the Revolution whom George Washington appointed to receive the sword of Cornwallis when he surrendered at Yorktown. It is in the southwestern section of the State and is bounded by Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cleveland, Catawba and Iredell counties. The present land area is 298.79 square miles and the 2000 population was 63,780. The act establishing the county appointed commissioners to select a convenient and central place and to erect a courthouse and prison. In 1782 and in 1784 new commissioners were appointed, as the previously appointed commissioners had failed to act. In 1785 Lincolnton was established on land selected for the county seat. It is the present county seat.

Neighboring Counties:

Mecklenburg

Gaston

Cleveland

Catawba

Iredell

Cities and Towns:

- Lincolnton (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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