Lincoln College, private college in Lincoln, Illinois, USA
Lincoln College was a private university in Lincoln, Illinois, that operated from 1865 until its closure in 2022. It offered associate, bachelor, and master degree programs, and also ran a second campus in Normal, Illinois, focused on adult learners.
The college was founded in 1865 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and received a major donation from James Millikin in 1901, which led to a temporary name change. In the 1920s it shifted from a four-year school to a two-year junior college, then gradually expanded its programs again over the following decades.
The college took its name from Abraham Lincoln, who has a special connection to the city since it is the only town named after him before he became president. The Lincoln Heritage Museum on campus brought together objects from his life and was open to the general public, not only to students.
The former campus sits in downtown Lincoln, Illinois, a small town along the old Route 66 corridor and easily reached from Interstate 55. Those passing through can still visit the Lincoln Heritage Museum, which operated on the campus and remains a point of interest in the area.
The college's wrestling team won national championships in 1989 and 1991, a rare achievement for a school of its size. The Lincoln Heritage Museum was founded in 1941, making it one of the older collections of Lincoln-related artifacts in the country, and it moved into a purpose-built building on campus in 2014.
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