Editing Lincoln Center, Kansas (section)

==History==
[[File:Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Lincoln County.png|thumb|left|1915 Railroad Map of Lincoln County]]
Settler George Green founded the town of '''Lincoln''' in 1870, naming it after the county.  "Center" was added to its name to indicate its location in the central part of the county. County residents initially voted to place the [[county seat]] in Lincoln Center.<ref name=History>{{cite web | last = Buchanan | first = Shirley | title = A Brief History of Lincoln Kansas | publisher = Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce | url = http://www.skyways.org/towns/Lincoln/history.html | access-date = 2010-01-19}}</ref> Elections in November 1870 resulted in the seat relocating to nearby Abram, sparking a [[county seat war]]. Another vote in February 1872 reversed the switch, and Lincoln Center again became the county seat. Residents relocated all the buildings in Abram to Lincoln, merging the two communities.<ref name=Barr1>{{citation | last = Barr | first = Elizabeth N. | contribution = County Organization | title = A Souvenir History of Lincoln County, Kansas | place = [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]] | publisher = Farmer Job Office | year = 1908 | contribution-url = http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/lincoln/history/new_page_9.htm | access-date = 2010-01-19}}</ref> The town was incorporated as the city of '''Lincoln Center''' in 1879, and is officially referred to as such in the [[United States Census]].<ref name=City>{{cite web | title = City of Lincoln, Kansas | publisher = City of Lincoln, Kansas | date = 2009-01-10 | url = http://www.lincolnks.org/About_Us.html | access-date = 2009-09-27}}</ref><ref name="Census2010"/>  Both the city government and local chamber of commerce refer to the city as '''Lincoln''',<ref name=City/><ref>{{cite web | title = Welcome to the Lincoln County Area Chamber | publisher = Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce | url = http://www.lincolnkansaschamber.com/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061206004151/http://www.lincolnkansaschamber.com/ | url-status = usurped | archive-date = December 6, 2006 | access-date = 2011-03-23}}</ref> and it appears as such on state maps and signs.<ref>{{cite web | title = 2011-2012 Official Transportation Map | publisher = [[Kansas Department of Transportation]] | year = 2011 | url = http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/state-pdf/2011-12Mapside.pdf | access-date = 2011-03-23}}</ref><ref name=CountyMap>{{cite web | title = General Highway Map - Lincoln County, Kansas | publisher = [[Kansas Department of Transportation]] | date = 2010-09-01 | url = http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/county-pdf/lincoln.PDF | access-date = 2011-03-23}}</ref>

Lincoln grew rapidly over the following decade, more than doubling in size, and the city gradually modernized. [[Kansas Christian College (Lincoln)|Kansas Christian College]] opened in Lincoln in 1885. The [[Union Pacific Railroad]] opened a branch line through the city in 1886, bringing mail service. In 1900, after the previous [[courthouse]] burned down, a new one was built out of native [[limestone]] known locally as [[fencepost limestone|post rock]]. Rural mail delivery began in 1904, and [[telephony]] service began in 1905. In 1906, the city's first [[power plant]] opened, providing [[electric power]].<ref name=History/> Beginning in the 1920s, the mechanization of agriculture reduced the need for farm work and commercial farming operations gradually consolidated family farms, resulting in a reduction in the population.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dent|first=Mark|date=2022-01-29|title=Would you take free land in rural America?|url=https://thehustle.co/would-you-take-free-land-in-rural-america/|access-date=2022-01-30|work=The Hustle|language=en-US}}</ref> By 1950, the state highway commission had completed [[K-14 (Kansas highway)|K-14]] and [[K-18 (Kansas highway)|K-18]] through Lincoln.

In 1989, given the widespread, long-standing use of post rock limestone in local building construction, the [[Kansas Legislature]] named Lincoln County as "The Post Rock Capital of Kansas".<ref>{{cite web | title = Certification of State Register Listing | publisher = [[Kansas Historical Society|Kansas State Historical Society]] | date = August 2004 | url = http://www.kshs.org/resource/national_register/nominationsNRDB/Lincoln_SouthForkSpillmanCreekBridgeSR.pdf | access-date = 2010-01-23}}</ref>

In the past, Lincoln has offered free residential lots to entice people to move to Lincoln.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/8-u-s-cities-that-will-give-you-a-free-house-or-land/ss-BB1nGQgE#image=5 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.msn.com}}</ref> This program was suspended in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=lcedf |date=2015-04-01 |title=Free Lots (Residential) - Lincoln, KS |url=https://www.livelincolncounty.com/free-lots-residential/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=Post Rock Capital of Kansas |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Malley |date=July 25, 2023 |title=Lincoln County recruiting new residents to the area |url=https://www.ksn.com/community/positive-connections/lincoln-county-recruiting-new-residents-to-the-area/ |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=[[KSNT|KSN]]}}</ref>