Lincoln County, KS

Limestone Bridge in Lincoln County, Kansas. Photo by Susan Howell.

The Saline River has cut a wide and beautiful valley across Lincoln County. Rolling hills, rich farmlands, and thick woods cover the countryside. The dam for Lake Wilson is in far western Lincoln County and the lake offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation.

This is "post-rock" county and the stone was widely used for homes, building, bridges, and fence posts.

The stone buildings in downtown Lincoln are beautiful. The county courthouse was built in 1900 out of local limestone.
Sylvan Grove has a couple of really nice turn-of-the-century homes and a beautiful old stone Lutheran School.
A double-arch stone bridge crosses the South Fork of Spillman Creek beside K-181 north of Sylvan Grove.
The Lutheran Church in Denmark was built in 1880 from the "post rock" limestone that lies under much of this part of Kansas.
The Vonada Stone Company near Sylvan Grove still makes stone fenceposts as well as other products from "post rock".

History

Organized in 1870. County seat, Lincoln. Named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, and author of the emancipation proclamation, who was assassinated April 14, 1865.

Map and text from History of Kansas, Noble Prentis, (Winfield: E.P. Greer. 1899)

William G. Cutler's History of Kansas, first published in 1883, tells about early Lincoln County.

The Special Collections of the Ablah Library at WSU contain historical images of Barnard, Beverly, Lincoln, Shady Bend, and Sylvan Grove,

The Kansas State Historical Society also has more historical data for Lincoln County online including a rich bibliography and lists of cemeteries, post offices, and newspapers.

Cities, Towns, & Villages of Lincoln County

                           2000
    Town                Population  ZIP         Year  Elevation
    =================   ==========  =========   ====  =========
    Ash Grove                                           1495
    Barnard                    123  67418               1310
    Barton                                              1352
    Beverly                    199  67423               1322
    Denmark                                     1869    1405
    Edalgo                                              1400
    Goldenrod                                           1395
    Grant                                               1450
    Juniata                                             1411
    Lincoln                  1,349  67455               1418
    Milo                                                1300
    Quartzite                                           1365
    Shady Bend                                          1330
    Sylvan Grove               324  67481               1445
    Vesper                                              1390
    Westfall                        67455               1430
    Wolf Creek                                          1470

Census Bureau Profile & Map

Special Events in Lincoln County

The county celebrates Lincoln's Birthday in a really big way on President's Day Weekend in the town of Lincoln!
The annual Lincoln County Fair is held each year during the last week of July in Sylvan Grove.

Libraries

Lincoln Public Library
203 S. Third, Lincoln, KS 67455
Sylvan Grove Public Library
Main Street / P. O. Box 96, Sylvan Grove, KS 67481

Museums

Crispin's Drug Store Museum (785) 524-4383
161 East Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln, KS 67455
Kyne House Museum (785) 524-4612
220 W. Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln, KS 67455
Post Rock Scout Museum (785) 524-5383
161 E. Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln, KS 67455
Yesterday House Museum (785) 526-7270 or 526-7868
Main Street, Sylvan Grove, KS 67481

Lincoln County School Systems

USD 298 Lincoln (785) 524-4436 Lincoln
USD 299 Sylvan Grove (785) 526-7175 Sylvan Grove

Hospitals

Lincoln County Hospital (785) 524-4403)
624 N. 2nd St. / Lincoln, KS 67455

Newspapers

Lincoln Sentinel-Republican (785) 524-4200
141 W. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln, KS 67455

More Data About Lincoln County

Economic Development

Kansas County Profile Reports
A wealth of statistical data from The Institute for Policy and Social Research, the University of Kansas

Health Data

KDHE's Lincoln County Health Profile

Genealogy

Lincoln County KSGenWeb Genealogy

References

Muilenburg, G. & Swinford, A. Land of the Post Rock (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. 1975)

Lincoln County Offices

Lincoln County (785) 524-4757
216 E. Lincoln Ave. / Lincoln, KS 67455
Extension Service (785) 524-4432

For more about Lincoln County contact:

Chamber of Commerce (785) 524-4934
137 W. Lincoln / P. O. Box 82, Lincoln, KS 67455

LincolnCounty