Historic Linden School

Historic Linden School. . During the 1800’s, the School House for the Linden community was located next to the Linden Mill Building on Main Street. The first grist mill, built in 1840, burned and was rebuilt about the same time the Union Block was in what is now the downtown. L.B. Hyatt was the builder who constructed both projects. His wife Frances Hyatt (also known as Aunt Fannie) was a school teacher who convince her husband and many other residents in the Linden community to move the school to S. Bridge Street. , 1871 , The entire school building to be located at the new site on S. Bridge Street was built by the people of this town. They did not levy any taxes or mills to build it. All of the labor to construct the mill was donated ' The lumber and timbers came from the area where Linden Elementary School sits today. The mortar for the bricks was made at the Linden Mill and the bricks were manufactured at the site where 603 W. Broad Street (also known as McDonalds) is located today. The first school house consisted of eight rooms and employed eight teachers. That eight room school house served the community for 40 years., 1901 , As the Linden community grew, so did its education needs. Once again, through the hard work and labors of the community, an addition was made to the existing structure on S. Bridge Street to provide four more classrooms. , 1930 , The Linden community passed a millage to construct a much needed addition to the existing school house which drastically altered the historic ambiance of the structure. A gymnasium, boys and girls shower rooms, a cafeteria area and indoor bathrooms (with indoor plumbing) were part of the new two 1/2 story addition. This addition was an example of true commitment to education because the funds needed were raised at the height of the Great Depression. This addition served the community until the mid-1970’s when it was converted to administrative offices for the Linden School District. The building was placed on the National Register Of Historic places in 1975 because of its historic significance as a central gathering place for many community activities, events and elections. , 1950 , During the 1950's, the community acquired additional land to establish an athletic field and recreational areas south of W. Broad Street. The funds to acquire the land were raised by volunteers in the community. The area was previously very low and swampy and was filled in with soil to enhance the recreational needs of Linden. Many people have fond memories of playing ball games on the four Little League fields as children. 2002 , In 2002, the Linden School Administrator and its Board members opted to have the building demolished and sell the athletic fields and adjoining land to a private developer despite opposition from many members of the community. Some of the bricks from the former building were salvaged and are incorporated into the nearby decorative planter. The planter has four glazed yellow blocks that came from the gymnasium of the former school building. The red bricks set in an upright soldier course at the center of the decorative planter also came from the exterior walls of the former