1939 LINDEN FIRE STATION CAMPAIGN
Join Preservation Texas in our Campaign to Save the 1939 Linden Fire Station in Linden, Texas.
PAST
The old Linden Fire Station was built in 1939 to house Linden’s existing volunteer fire department and fire truck. It was constructed as a complement to the city’s Public Works Administration-funded 1934 Sanitary Waterworks, one of the first of two such infrastructure projects approved in Texas.
The building was expanded in 1949 to make room for a second fire truck and additional equipment. It was the only fire station in Cass County until the 1950s, and many businesses and residences county-wide owe their survival to this early firefighting tradition. In 1961, the department relocated and the vacant building suffered decades of deterioration due to neglect and water infiltration. The 1939 Linden Fire Station was included on our annual Most Endangered Places list in 2016.
The fire station in 2014.
Original 1935 Linden Fire Truck.
PRESENT
Upon threat of demolition in 2022, Preservation Texas purchased the 1939 Linden Fire Station from the City of Linden in order to undertake its rehabilitation.
Interior wallboards were salvaged and stored to be reinstalled later.
Completed in the spring of 2024, the first phase of work by Preservation Texas stabilized the exterior envelope of the building. New structural wall, window, and door framing has been anchored to the historic lath so that a proper new exterior stucco finish can be applied later.
FUTURE
The 1939 Linden Fire Station will be the first project completed as part of Preservation Texas’s new Heritage Lodging Program. The initiative will transform the historic station into a unique vacation rental, which will generate revenue to maintain the property while offering an authentic guest experience in a restored landmark. Additionally, the building will be periodically open for tours, enhancing public engagement. The total rehabilitation project is expected to cost approximately $200,000.
Your support will help save the 1939 Linden Fire Station and ensure it is cherished by future generations. Contribute today to promote cultural tourism, strengthen the economy of Cass County, and preserve this distinctive, one-of-a-kind piece of Texas history.
Rendering of the fire station after the planned rehabilitation.
