Lincoln’s “Green Space” in downtown “Olde Town Center” is one step closer to complete restoration, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Benton County Community Foundation.
The Lincoln Community Betterment raised funds at their Balloon Glow/Fall Market for the Green Space project that has been ongoing for some time. Benton County Community Foundation (BCCF) gave a matching grant, adding $5,000 to their project funds.
The “Green Space” was the brainchild of a science class taught by Sarah Cramer at Lincoln R-2 school. The class approached the Lincoln Chamber about placing an open air green space inside the walls of a collapsed building next to Lincoln’s City Hall in the old downtown.
Prior to its demise the building had been a handsome structure with an ornate cast iron façade. The original occupant in the building was Davis/Pohl grocery. In later years it served as the Lincoln Locker plant. After that closed, the deterioration picked up speed until it was finally acquired by the city at a tax sale.
Many work days with volunteers laboring to clean up the area resulted in slow but steady progress toward repairing the front, cleaning the walls and floor area and even adding a deck on the back to connect it to City Hall. The deck was made possible with grant money through local realtors.
The next phase is costly but involves preparing the existing walls so they can be painted with various murals depicting the town’s history. History such as knowing one of its earliest residents was Wiley Vincent who operated a tavern and stagecoach stop in the southwest edge of the present day community. Also a Lincoln history book reveals the local farmers confronted cattle drives from Texas to prevent them from crossing their land to get to the trailhead in Sedalia. They were afraid of contamination from tick fever brought by the large herds.
Other suggestions for the murals is the little train that once made regular runs through Lincoln until August of 1946 or the town’s first water tower after they finally built a public water system in the early 1950s. Lincoln has always been and still is, agricultural based and that too will be represented in the art work.
BCCF members, Erin Reser, Joel Helland and Randy Eaton presented Lincoln’s Mayor, Glen Nelson and Lincoln Chamber President, Lindsey Decker with the $5,000 check. It was made possible in part by the Patterson Family Foundation. A large thanks to all who support BCCF as the group celebrates its 25th year in 2024.
