NRHP Reference # 66000477 Designated NMHS 1937 Year built 1881 | Designated NHLD December 19, 1960 Area 9.502 km² Added to NRHP 15 October 1966 | |
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Similar Lincoln Historic Site, Tunstall Store, Smokey Bear Historical, Museum of New Mexico, Jemez Historic Site | ||
Lincoln Historic District is a historic district encompassing the community of Lincoln, New Mexico. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The historic district contains 48 structures, some privately-held, 12 miles (19 km) east of Capitan and 57 miles (92 km) west of Roswell along U.S. Route 380.
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It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The National Park Service reviewer of the site, who visited in 1974, believed, then, that it was the best preserved cow town in the United States.
Seventeen of the buildings are owned by the state of New Mexico and operated as Lincoln Historic Site under the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Four of the buildings are open as museums year round, and two are open seasonally. It includes a number of buildings, including Wright House, Dr. Wood's Office, the Watson House, Curry Saloon, Wortley Hotel, Penfield Shop and Home, Tunstall Store, Old Mill, Ellis Store, Old Courthouse, and Montano Store.
The town is notable for its famous residents who participated in the Lincoln County War, and as the site of Billy the Kid's most famous escape in April 1881.
History
Lincoln looks much as it did during the Lincoln County War (1878–1881) when its single street was peopled with characters like Billy the Kid, John Chisum and Lawrence Murphy. Nestled in a valley between the Capitan and Sacramento Mountains of southcentral New Mexico, Lincoln was the scene of Billy the Kid's most famous escape in April 1881. Billy had been sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead and was being held prisoner in the Old Lincoln County Courthouse. Somehow he got hold of a six-shooter, killed the two deputies who were guarding him (Bell and Olinger), then stole a horse and rode out of town—only to be tracked down in Fort Sumner and shot dead two months later by Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Although Billy the Kid was the most famous character in Lincoln during its violent heyday, he had only a supporting role in the larger story of the Lincoln County War. The "war" was a vicious struggle between two competing economic factions for control of lucrative government contracts and local resources. The two factions, Murphy-Dolan and Tunstall-McSween, fought a series of escalating battles with such murderous ferocity that the repercussions were felt as far away as the state capital Santa Fe and even in Washington, D.C.
Museums
Four of the museum buildings are open year round and two are opened seasonally.