HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY

Lincoln County came into existence in 1779 during the American Revolution. Prior to 1779, Lincoln County was formerly part of Tryon County. Tryon County was formed from Mecklenburg County in 1768 and abolished in 1779 to form Rutherford and Lincoln counties. At its formation and until the border survey of 1772, Tryon County included all or portions of the South Carolina counties of York, Chester, Union, Spartanburg and Cherokee counties

Tryon County was named for William Tryon, the Royal Governor of the Province. William Tryon was a Major General in command of the American Loyalists. His oppressions of the inhabitants made his name so detestable, the General Assembly in 1779 blotted the name of Tryon from the list of counties and divided the territory into the counties of Lincoln and Rutherford. The eastern portion becoming Lincoln County and the western portion becoming Rutherford County. The lines were drawn by a line beginning at the south line near Broad River, thence along the dividing ridge between Buffalo Creek and Little Broad River to the line of Burke County. (Alfred Nixon, THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET, January 1910, pg. 112)

Lincoln County was named in honor of Maj-General Benjamin Lincoln, of Rhode Island, Commander of the Southern Army, during the American Revolution. It was he who took the sword of surrender from British General Cornwallis at Yorktown for General George Washington.

Later Lincoln was further divided into Cleveland County (1841), Catawba County (1842) and Gaston County (1846. The county seat of Lincoln County is the city of Lincolnton, with the courthouse located at 115 W. Main Street, in the center of the city square.

Timeline for the Formation of Lincoln County

Bath County was formed in 1696 from territories
south of the Albemarle River.
(Bath County renamed Beaufort in 1712)
Archdale County was formed in 1705 from Bath County
............(in 1712 Archdale County was renamed Craven )
New Hanover County was formed from Craven County in 1729
Bladen was formed from New Hanover County in 1734
Anson was formed from Bladen County in 1750
Mecklenburg County was formed from Anson County in 1762
Tryon was formed from Mecklenburg County in 1768
....Tryon existed as a County from 1768 - 1779
Lincoln County was formed in 1779 from Tryon County