Friends of the Lincoln Historic Site

The Lincoln Historic Site, owned and managed by the State of New Mexico's Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), is unique in that it manages most of the historical buildings in the tiny community of Lincoln. This is the most widely visited State Historic Site in New Mexico and is woven into a living community largely frozen in time—the 1870's and 1880's. Through a gift from the Hubbard Family Trust, the Historic Site currently includes 17 structures and outbuildings, seven of which are open year round, with two others open seasonally. Many of the buildings in the community are representative of the Territorial Style of adobe architecture in the American Southwest. In fact, Lincoln is home to the single largest concentration of original Territorial style architecture left in the world––that's right, more original Territorial Style adobe architecture than you'll find even in Santa Fe. Lincoln is an American treasure, and the last authentic link to the legendary American frontier era.

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In October of 2013, a small group of concerned citizens founded Friends of the Lincoln Historic Site (FOLHS) to support DCA in its ongoing restoration and preservation efforts. By the fall of 2014, the paperwork was approved for the group to achieve its non-profit, tax-exempt status.

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Over the years, FOLHS has raised tens of thousands of dollars to support a variety of projects the State has not budgeted for, including purchasing entry grates for the museums, light-blocking curtains to protect the archives, artists’ work and period-specific toys for the new children’s exhibit, and restoration of the stairs in the San Juan Mission. We’ve paid for repairs to make road-worthy the utility trailer the staff of the Site use. We’ve paid the fees for Rangers to take an on-line class offered by the American Association of Arts and History. As a gesture of good will to support the Site’s artist/historian in residence programming, we made a donation to the Museum of New Mexico Foundation. We also donated to support a Chautauqua performance, specifically an appearance by Bob Estes who does a presentation called “Me and Billy the Kid.”

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Of late, our largest and most recent commitment is to fund more markers for historically significant places and events in Lincoln, including the site of Sheriff Brady’s murder. To inform and entertain our tourists, this effort, which may cost upwards of $10,000, will add to the knowledge and experience of over 60,000 visitors a year.

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We invite you to join FOLHS in restoring and preserving Old Lincoln by becoming a member. If you walk what President Rutherford B. Hayes once claimed was the most dangerous street in America, you will realize the rehabilitation these buildings need. To keep these buildings “alive,” the cost may run into the millions of dollars, but we are dedicated to doing whatever we can to help.

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Friends of the Lincoln Historic Site Board Members

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​​President:  Elaine Allen​

​Vice President:  Johnny Boswell​

Secretary:  vacant​

Treasurer:  Michael Johnson​

Other Board Members:

James Clark, ​Clara Farah, Bernie Gallegos