History
In 1669 the “official” discovery of the Shenandoah Valley was credited to John Lederer and John Catlett at the present day site of Linden. The discovery and mapping of the area helped to open the area for further settlement. A marker at the intersection of VA 55 and VA 638 in Linden help commemorate this event.
From the mid-18th century to the 1950s, the Linden area was home to 25 Apple Orchards. The Linden Methodist Church was built in 1842 and numerous buildings still exist dating from the 19th century. In November 1954, tragedy struck the Linden church. A fire thought to be the caused by a faulty pipe in the wood burning stove, destroyed the beautiful 62 year old wooden structure. Its towering steeple and bell had long been an iconic landmark in the community. The Front Royal Fire Department courageously fought the blaze for four hours before it was squelched. Several heroic men in the Linden community, including Rev. B. L. Lock entered the burning building to salvage the church's antique pulpit, pews and bible. All were relics from a church building that had previously served the congregation.
The fire revealed several graves beneath the church's stone foundation making it very difficult to rebuild at the same site. Therefore, the congregation decided to relocate the Linden church next to the parsonage, on the opposite side of Highway 55. In December 1955, the ground breaking ceremony for the new Linden church at its current location took place. When completed, the new church was furnished with the pulpit and pews that had been rescued from the flames.
Read more about this topic: Linden, Virginia
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—Karl Marx (1818–1883)
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—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)