Lincoln County, Maine was incorporated on June 19, 1760; named, not for President Abraham Lincoln, who hadn't been born yet, but for Governor Thomas Pownal of Massachusetts, whose home town was Lincoln, England.
At the time of its incorporation, Lincoln County's western boundary began at the eastern edge of Casco Bay, followed the Casco Bay shoreline to the New Meadows River across the carrying place to Merrymeeting Bay, then thirty miles up the Androscoggin River, where the boundary ran north a couple of miles to the Canadian border. Its eastern border was Nova Scotia, extending from the sea to the northern reaches of the territory of Maine. In 1760, Lincoln County covered three-fifths of the territory of Maine, the remainind portions of the state being in York and Cumberland counties. The remaining thirteen counties were set apart from portions of Lincoln County.
Today, the county contains 457 square miles, including 451 miles of coastline and six rivers. Kennebec County borders it on the north, Waldo on the northeast, Knox on the east, and Sagadahoc County on the west.
Lincoln County's original shire town was Pownalborough, also named for Thomas Pownal; but in 1790, Wiscasset was made the county seat, as it is today.
The county's economy was based on marine interests such as fishing, lobstering, clamming, eeling, and boat building, although forestry and agriculture also played a part in the early days. Over the past several years, service industries and tourism have been its primary emphasis.
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