Lincoln, CA

Lincoln began with a railroad, then built its most enduring trade from clay. In 1859, the new town became the temporary terminus of California's first railroad and took the name of railroad president Charles Lincoln Wilson. It incorporated in 1890. Transportation left a second large imprint two miles west of downtown during World War II. The U.S. Army Air Corps built what is now Lincoln Regional Airport in 1942 as an auxiliary field for B-25 bomber training. The city owns and operates the present 775-acre airport, where remnants of the military barracks remain. Its surviving center runway became today's Runway 15-33 and now extends 6,001 feet. The railroad and airfield record the town's origins, but an operating factory on Seventh Street supplies its most visible continuity.

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A rich clay deposit north of town drew Charles Gladding, Peter McBean, and George Chambers to establish Gladding, McBean in the mid-1870s. Clay sewer pipe was the first product, and the partners shipped their first carload to San Francisco. The Lincoln plant went on to manufacture roof tile, brick, pottery, chimney tops, and architectural terra cotta; at its 1940s and 1950s peak, it employed as many as 750 workers. Pacific Coast Building Products purchased the plant in 1976 and restored the historic company name, which remains in use. Current production includes clay pipe, roof and floor tile, pottery, and custom terra cotta. Since 2022, scanning and CNC equipment have joined the modeling, molding, glazing, and firing required to reproduce architectural pieces.

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That production combines industrial scale with craft-intensive work. Ceramic art also appears along downtown streets and in civic gathering spaces. Architectural terra-cotta tiles and medallions form a walking tour through historic downtown, and murals add newer work to the same streets. The Art League of Lincoln held its Feats of Clay competition at the Gladding, McBean factory from 1987 through 2011; a 2026 edition ran from April 23 through May 31. A few blocks away, Beermann Plaza serves as the town square for concerts, the annual holiday tree lighting, and other recurring activities. Year-round theater productions use the downtown Civic Center. Visual art, performance, and gatherings remain close to the factory and original rail town, keeping clay visible beyond the factory gates.

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Baseball carries that connection into summer evenings. Factory workers founded McBean Stadium in 1925, and Gladding, McBean later sponsored the Lincoln Potters, whose name still refers to the local clay trade. The current wood-bat club shares the stadium with Lincoln Little League and William Jessup University baseball. Stadium renovations completed in 2022 added new lighting, turf, grass, dugouts, batting cages, fencing, and seating. The field sits inside 24-acre McBean Park alongside the municipal pool, playground, picnic grounds, and other sports facilities. A swim lesson, Little League game, university matchup, or Potters game can all bring residents to the same park, where a club descended from factory sponsorship still takes the field.