Lincoln County
… was formed in 1779, when Tryon County was divided to form Lincoln and Rutherford Counties. Located in the SW section of the state, it is bounded by Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cleveland, Catawba, and Iredell Counties. It was named for Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810), distinguished general of the Revolution. Area: 309 sq. mi. County seat: Lincolnton, with an elevation of 860 ft. Townships are Catawba Springs, Howards Creek, Ironton, Lincolnton, and North Brook. The Schenck-Warlick Mill, the first cotton mill in the South, was built about 1812 approx. 1 mi. W of Lincolnton. Produces corn, wheat, oats, cotton, poultry, dairy products, livestock, hogs, textiles, furniture, auto parts, apples, soybeans, machinery, hosiery, crushed stone, mica, sand, and amethyst.
