Cass County roots run deep. For Kerry Wells, the 200^th Charter Member of the Linden Heritage Foundation, his local origin dates back to the 1800s when his great-great grandfather made the trek to the area and settled in on a place he deemed the Ray Mountain in the Concord Community.  He instituted a saw mill which aided in the family’s survival on through the Great Depression.  Having weathered the storms of the era, Kerry’s great uncle Louie Ray later acquired the Foster Skating Rink which served up happier times for area occupants.  Those firmly grounded beginnings produced an impeccable setting for Kerry to flourish:

“Growing up nestled in the Piney Woods was a privilege.  I spent most of my time working in or exploring the unique aspects of our area.  When I wasn’t in the woods I could be found playing baseball until dark at Crow Heath Park. There were gatherings at the Pickle Shed and you could always find out what was going on after a drive by The Country Store.  My mother would regularly send my brother and me up to Allen Brothers to be outfitted head to toe.  I would receive two minute alterations with biggest pair of scissors I’d ever seen.  Downtown was bustling.  Every building had one of the best mom and pop spots anywhere around.  We looked forward to the Wildflower Trails where I was determined to champion the Treasure Hunt each year.  While this never happened I was the proud winner of the Piggly Wiggly “Let’s Go to the Races” scratch off which made up for it.  There were always fascinating stories swirling around town like the time a deer ran through the streets and jumped through several store front windows, “last seen headed North.”  I had so many great times growing up in Linden but mostly I remember a community involved together for the greater good.“

Kerry is a proud graduate of Linden Kildare High School and went on to obtain a degree at Texas A&M University.  The bit of magic in the soil here brought him back to his roots and today he puts his lifelong experiences to use by enhancing and promoting the local landscape as a real estate professional with Century 21 Platinum Partners.  He resides with his wife Erin, also a Charter Member who foster an eagerness for serving the people of Cass County, and their three children; Asher Stone, Alayna Linae, and Breckin Sloan who attend Linden Kildare Elementary and are making their parents proud as next generation Linden Tigers.

Both Kerry and Erin encourage you to join in the noble work being done by the Linden Heritage Foundation to preserve local legacies while creating a thriving home town atmosphere for present and future generations.

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The first Annual Meeting the Membership of the Linden Heritage Foundation will be held on Saturday, 23 January 2016, at the Linden Garden Club (300 E Houston St) starting at 2 pm.  All members are encouraged to attend and exercise their right to vote for 2016 Board of Directors.

The agenda for the meeting includes:

1. Welcome – Sam Higdon, President
2. Introduction of Nominating Committee Members – Sam Higdon
3. Nominating Committee submits Slate of Directors for election
4. Explanation of voting process, tabulate vote, and announce results
5. Review of Foundation financial statement
6. Review of past and current activities
7. Questions and Comments
8. Announcement of next quarterly meeting of Board of Directors – date, time, and location
9. Refreshments & Visitation

The Board of Directors will meet following the Business Meeting to discuss:

1. Election of Officers
2. Staggered terms of Directors
3. Committee formation
4. Goals for 2016

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The Linden City Council’s first meeting of 2016 is scheduled for Monday, 11 January, starting at 6:00 pm at the Mary Daughety Senior Citizens Center located at 507 S. Kaufman in Linden.

Two items on the agenda will be of interest to members and friends of the Linden Heritage Foundation.

• “Discuss and take action on Request for Proposals for fire house and water tower”
• “Discuss fire house deed for Heritage Foundation”
• “Discuss and take action on selection of two members representing City Council on “Linden 2025” committee (only one can be a council member)”

We hope that you will be able to attend.

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The lead article in the 30 December 2015 issue of the Cass County Sun entitled 2015: The Year in Review.  Caption of the photo accompanying photo reads “One of the biggest stories of 2015 was the 1934 water tower which went from nearly being demolished to a major project by the newly formed Linden Heritage Foundation.”

In the summary of July’s major events, the article noted that “The Linden City Council voted to demolish the 1934 water tower, which had previously been taken out of commission.  The continuation of the article on page 10 noted under August events that “Council later voted to allow private investors the opportunity to submit a proposal for its renovation.”

Two events involving the Foundation were noted from November. 1) “The Linden Heritage Foundation said they wanted Linden’s downtown area to the designated a Texas Main Street by the Texas Historical Commission.”  2) “The City of Linden transferred ownership of the abandoned 1939 fire station to the Linden Heritage Foundation which would seek private development of the property.”

Thanks to widespread, strong community support of the Linden Heritage Foundation proposals to preserve the 1934 Water Tower and 1939 Fire Station, plans are being made to allow both structures to play a positive role in the future redevelopment of Linden, Texas.  

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