Successful Clean-Up at Old Linden Firehouse

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Photo by Barbara Teachey

Last Saturday (November 5, 2016), over 60 volunteers assisted in an exterior and interior clean-up of the Old Linden Firehouse – a workday that attracted workers from Tucson, AZ to Richmond, VA and several other states. By the time the volunteers were done, the perimeter of the building was free of unwanted debris and vegetation; and many trailer loads of collapsed roofing, old asphalt, roots/stumps, and general trash had been banished from the site. The Firehouse interior was cleared of fallen roof timbers and its walls and floors swept clean. The chain link fencing along the east Firehouse wall was likewise removed, as were many vines tangled into it. Concrete and asphalt rubble was hauled away to either be recycled as City street repair material or placed in dumpsters. Finally, the footings of Linden’s Historic Water Tower, located next to the Firehouse, were exposed to reveal the original concrete pedestals; and measures were taken to prevent water from standing around the metal feet of the tower – thus extending the life of the steel structure.

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Photo by Barbara Teachey

The Linden Heritage Foundation announced its intent to restore the 1939 Firehouse in January of 2016. The group has since been raising funds and promoting the project statewide, including a successful application to have the historic building chosen by Preservation Texas for its 2016 Texas’ Most Endangered Places list.

For the success of Clean-Up Day, the Foundation owes a special debt of gratitude to:

  1. The Cass County Probation team (more than 25 workers and essential equipment) led by Joby McDaniels, Cass County Probation Officer.
  2. Bob Swisher, Linden City Administrator, for bringing his personal heavy equipment and consulting with us on several logistical matters.
  3. John Knapp, Linden Heritage Foundation Secretary, for overseeing the trickier tasks of the day.
  4. Sandra Westbrook Skoog, Jeanie O’Rear Stevens,  and Jana C. Bounds, Linden Heritage Foundation members, for donuts and serving volunteers.
  5. Jo Anna Duncan, Front Porch Treasure Studios, for photos.

The Texas Historical Commission recently chose the Linden Heritage Foundation to receive a  prestigious grant from the Texas Preservation Trust Fund for a Historic Structure Report – HSR for short. An HSR is a comprehensive study of the building, with professional planning recommendations for appropriate restoration work to be performed. The HSR will ensure two important things: that the restoration plan will follow national preservation standards and that the building’s eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places will be respected and preserved.

The architectural firm leading the planning work, Architexas of Dallas, will soon begin inspecting the Firehouse and preparing the HSR.  Meanwhile, Linden Heritage Foundation members have worked hard to prepare the historical component of the HSR, saving significantly on Architexas’ fees.

The Foundation hit a home run last Saturday when the volunteer team fully prepared the site for the arrival of the architectural professionals. Let the planning work begin!

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Linden becomes a Texas Main Street City

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tmsp-165pxThe Texas Historical Commission (THC) has officially designated Linden as a 2017 Texas Main Street City.  The announcement came just one day after the Linden Heritage Foundation received notice that the 1939 Linden Firehouse will receive a prestigious Planning Grant from the THC’s Texas Preservation Trust Fund.  These two news items significantly elevate Linden’s visibility statewide as a City working to employ its past towards a brighter future for its citizens.

The Texas Main Street Program is a national award-winning revitalization program for historic downtown commercial districts.  Every year, the THC selects one to five Texas cities for official Main Street designation.  Two were selected to enter the program in 2017 – Linden and Buda.

Starting in January, Linden’s Main Street Program will receive a range of services and technical expertise from the THC – including building facade design work, marketing promotion training, and aids to heritage tourism development.  The program’s resources are designed to stimulate private-sector downtown reinvestment, new businesses, and related new job creation.  Overall, the Main Street Program places high value on a town’s unique qualities and history in ways that encourage a synergy of new investment, historic preservation, and economic growth.

The Texas Preservation Trust Fund Grant just awarded to the Linden Firehouse will provide funds toward professional architectural planning of a building restoration fully in keeping with national preservation guidelines.  Following this approach will enable the Foundation Board to apply in the future for major grant funding to support actual construction work on the Firehouse site.

Our community has work to do in 2017; and these special state resources will amplify the long-term success of local efforts.  The Linden Heritage Foundation hopes you will join in this work – either by becoming a member or by renewing your existing membership.  The Foundation was formed in September 2015 to encourage the preservation of Linden’s historic structures, archeological sites, objects and customs relating to the heritage and uniqueness of Linden.  We are therefore a natural local ally and local partner to the Texas Historical Commission.

As a town, Linden is daily gaining momentum towards true revitalization; and we hope many of you will offer your talents to help claim the future that Linden and its citizens deserve.  Please consider serving on a Foundation committee, such as the Firehouse Rescue Committee or the Main Street/Downtown Building Survey Committee that will launch in January 2017.  If you have a question or wish to volunteer, send an email to ContactUs@LindenHeritage.org or call 888.334.9284.

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Texas Preservation Trust Fund Awards Grant to Old Linden Firehouse

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The Texas Historical Commission has notified the Linden Heritage Foundation that the 1939 Linden Firehouse was chosen to receive a planning grant from the Texas Preservation Trust Fund.  This grant will fund a professional preservation plan called a Historic Structure Report (HSR for short) which is a comprehensive study of the building and the recommended restoration work to be performed to keep the project in conformance with national preservation standards.

Conceptual computer-rendered image of 1939 Firehouse after restoration.
The above rendering by Lucas Allen is a preliminary idea of how the Old Firehouse could look after it is restored. At that point, the Foundation will put the building into commercial service of some kind – retail, food service, business office, etc. – allowing the historical building to become a lasting improvement to the face of Linden and a boost to the local economy..

An HSR is led by architectural professionals with preservation credentials. The architectural firm leading the Firehouse HSR will be Architexas of Dallas. The cost of the architectural work to lead the HSR is $11,200. The Foundation has already raised the necessary match funds.  Jo Anna Duncan will provide photographic services; and to top off the HSR effort the Foundation’s local research team – Kay Stephens, Gail Dorgan, and Sue Lazara – will provide the required historical documentation.

Last January, the Old Firehouse was officially determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, which was a prerequisite to apply for this particular Texas Preservation Trust Fund grant.  This prestigious grant award has very specific eligibility requirements, so only a finite number of Texas properties can qualify to make application.  Once the HSR is completed, the Old Firehouse will be allowed to reapply for a larger grant from the same Texas Preservation Trust Fund, toward the actual restoration work.

The award letter from Mark Wolfe, Executive Director of The Texas Historical Commission, is available for viewing as a pdf file at tptf-award-old-linden-firehouse.

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Save the Date: It’s Time for a Clean-Up at Old Linden Firehouse on Saturday, Nov 5th!

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firehouseVolunteers are needed to assist in an exterior clean-up of the Old Linden Firehouse chosen by Preservation Texas for its 2016 Texas’ Most Endangered Places list in the local public building category. The Linden Heritage Foundation is supporting the restoration of the Firehouse.

When: Saturday, November 5th, 9 am -12 pm

Where: 1939 Firehouse under the old Water Tower

Bring: Gloves, wheel barrows, and garden implements

Refreshments: Water, coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts

Spread the word! Invite your family, friends, students, customers, and non-profit groups who are interested in preserving this building that is of historical significance to Linden.

Can you help? Call or email Joe B. Lovelace (512.799.6294 or Joe.Lovelace@LindenHeritage.org) to get on the list.

Thank you to the City of Linden for assistance they will be providing during the clean-up!

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Automotive History of our Town

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The hundred-year-old images below shows how “Road Meets” were held monthly for the owners of the few private automobiles in Linden and adjoining parts of Cass County during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson.  The owners of these early automobiles were eager to show off and make sport in their open cabs and dusters.  Note the condition of the roads at this time – graded clay.  City streets in County towns were not paved for another two decades.

Caption for the photo below: The first good roads meeting held in Cass County was in May 1912, in Linden.  The photo above shows the first automobiles purchased in Cass County.  Left to right are: first, a 1910 Buick owned by Dr. R. L. Long (the first car bought to the county); second, an E.M.F. Studebaker owned by J. B. Roberts; third, an E.M.F. Studebaker owned by J. J. Ellington Jr.; fourth, a 1911 Ford owned by Frank Bivins; fifth, a 1912 Ford owned by J. M. Hutchins; sixth, a 1912 Ford owned by W. H. Erambert; seventh, a two-cylinder Bruch, wood axle, owned by Sheriff W. C. Blalock; eight, a Cadillac owned by The Texas Iron Association.  Most of the early cars had kerosene lights for side and tail lights, carbide and prestolite for headlights. Most cars were equipped with rubber balls for horns. All cars except Fords operated with steering wheels on the right side of the car.

RoadMeets 1

This 1912 photo was taken from the middle of Houston Street; the mostly wooden commercial buildings, left, are the east half of the block facing the Courthouse North Portico at that time.

Caption for the photo below: Photo shows scene from 1915 on the square in Linden.  The monument in the upper right corner of the photo is still standing in front of the Cass County Courthouse today.  Photo submitted by Eunice Moore.

RoadMeets 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This 1915 image shows a full block of Linden’s commercial buildings as they were at the time along Houston Street, directly across from the Courthouse North Portico.  At far right is the Monument to the Confederate Dead and still farther to the right is a glimpse of the public well house in front of the Courthouse north entrance.  This well served people, horses, and various other uses for town merchants.

The Confederate obelisk, erected in 1903, was toppled in 1908 and then toppled again in a c.1940 windstorm – the second time being 25 years after this 1915 photo was taken.  After each of these great storms, the twice-broken obelisk was reclaimed and remounted, which is why its original monument height is significantly reduced.

Courthouse Autos 1Courthouse Autos 2

The two above photos show no automobiles on the public square between 1903 to1908.  Within 5 years (1913) the Minutes of the Linden City Commissioners Record Book contain some informatively humorous passages about the automobile’s arrival and how public policy was obliged to accommodate the situation as the horse and buggy days drew to a close:

Citty (sic) Council of Linden Cass County Texas met in regular session Sept 1, 1913 and called to order by Mayer (sic) Fant.

Members present: J. C. Fant, Mayer (sic), W. C. Taylor, Marshall
Aldermen L. C. Weaver, M. D. Givens, I. N. Marrett, John Banger


An ordinance regulating the speed limit of automobiles or moster (sic) vehicles within the corporate limits of the Citty (sic) of Linden Texas.

Bee (sic) it ordained by the Citty Council of the Citty of Linden Texas in regular session convened, that the following rules and regulations are hereby established for the regulation of automobiles and other motor vehicles within the corporate limits of the Citty of Linden Texas governing the owners, operators, drivers or persons in charge of automobiles or other motor vehicles.

Sec. 1. It shall be unlawful for any automobile or other motor vehicle to be operated on any streets or public road within the corporate limits of the Citty of Linden Texas at a greater speed limit than eight miles per hour, within the corporate limits of said Citty of Linden Texas.

Provided further that no person in charge of an automobile or other motor vehicle within the corporate limits shall drive the same at any speed greater than is reasonable and proper, having regard to the traffic or way of others, so as to indanger (sic) the life or property of any person driving or operrating (sic) an automobile or other motor vehicles.  Shall at the request or signal by putting up the hand or any other visible signal from any person riding or driving a horse or horses, or other domestic animal cause such a vehicle or machine to come to stand still as quickly as possible and to remain stationary long enough to allow such animal to pass.

The text and images in this article were prepared by Sue Morris Lazara.  Transcription of the Old City Record Book was done in fall of 2015 by four of Linden Heritage Foundation’s Research Volunteers – Gail Dorgan, Kay Stephens, Catherine Knapp,  and Sue Lazara.

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