Did You Know? Fun Facts About Lincoln, RI

In this edition of "Did you know?", we will discuss some historical and fun facts about the town of Lincoln.

Historical Fact #1

The land that would eventually become Lincoln was initially inhabited by European settlers such as the Whitman and Whipple families in 1661 and was a part of the Providence Plantations. In 1731, it became part of Smithfield and finally gained town incorporation in 1871 under the name "Lincoln", in honor of Abraham Lincoln.

Historical Fact #2

Two of the oldest and still existing houses in the entire country are located on Great Rd. in Lincoln. The Eleazor Arnold house was built in 1693 and is located at 487 Great Rd. The Valentine Whitman House is located at 1147 Great Rd. and was built in the 1694-1696 time frame. Both houses feature an architecture style that is unique to RI called stone-enders.

(Whitman House is on the left. Photo courtesy of the Valley Breeze. Arnold house is below.)

Stone-enders were built around large chimneys made of limestone which formed an entire wall of the house. The other three walls were built with timber from the surrounding trees.

Historical Fact #3

Valentine Whitman, (mentioned above), is the grandson of the last person burned at the stake in England. His grandfather was Edward Wightman and he was executed on charges of heresy on April 11, 1612.

Historical Fact #4

The early settlers of Lincoln discovered rich limestone deposits, making it a key component in building the stone-enders.

Lime stone is still mined in Lincoln today at the Conklin Quarry, (pictured on the left), which is located in the Lime Rock village and dates all the way back to the 1650s. It's easy to see where the village of Lime Rock got its name.

Fun Fact #1

Lincoln is comprised of seven villages which include Manville, Albion, Lime Rock, Lonsdale, Fairlawn, Quinnville, and Saylesville.

Fun Fact#2

Lincoln is home to Bally's Twin River Casino Resort, formerly known as Twin River Casino and Hotel.

The casino has 162,000 square feet of gaming area, with a variety of gaming options such as 4,108 slot machines, 97 table games, and 23 poker tables. The hotel offers 136 rooms for guests, along with a 29,000-square-foot event center, 16 dining options, 7 bars, and a recently opened sports book for betting on sporting events.

This facility has seen a few ownership changes and renovations over the years.

Originally, it opened in 1947 and was known as Lincoln Downs, and was a place

where people would go to bet on horse races. In 1976, Lincoln Downs was sold and became Lincoln Grey Hound Park. In 2003, legal issues with some executives of the Park led to then Governor, Donald Carcieri, demanding the track be sold to new owners. In 2015, BLB became the new owners of the track and began renovations and an expansion. The new facility opened under the name Twin River Casino. The casino was rebranded in 2021 as Bally's Twin River.

Real Estate Fun Fact

The average sale price for homes sold in Lincoln in 2022 was $461,707. If you are thinking of buying or selling in Lincoln, Contact Me for a free consultation.

To read more "Did you know?" blogs about other cities and towns in RI, click here.