Lincoln County, North Carolina: History
The county was formed in 1779 from the eastern part of Tryon County, which had been settled by Europeans in the mid-18th Century. It was named for Benjamin Lincoln, a general in the American Revolutionary War." During the American Revolution, the Battle of Ramsour's Mill occurred near a grist mill in Lincolnton.
In 1782 the southeastern part of Burke County was annexed to Lincoln County. In 1841, parts of Lincoln County and Rutherford County were combined to form Cleveland County. In 1842, the northern third of Lincoln County became Catawba County. In 1846, the southern half of what was left of Lincoln County became Gaston County.