Hometown Highlight: Linden, NC

By: Emma De Noble

Living on the outskirts of your hometown makes articles like these difficult to write. Living on the outskirts of another, much larger city that perhaps is more of a “hometown” than the dinky little town in-between towns and cities itself makes it even more of a challenge. Throughout writing this article I wondered if I should have written about Fayetteville instead, since most of my youth has been spent within its city limits instead of within Linden’s. But there is something special about this small and intentionally rural place that nobody really knows about. In the end, Linden is home to me, and while there may be more to do outside of it than inside, it would be a crying shame if I lived anywhere else.

The Linden welcome sign. Photo Credit: Emma De Noble

For starters, Linden is located right near the Little River, which operates as the border between Cumberland and Harnett counties. According to the then-Mayor Marie Butler in a 2013 interview, the town began as the plantation home of George Douglas Elliot, who purchased 650 acres of land along the Little River in 1893.

Linden was chartered in 1913, and to this day the town limits have not changed much, most of its development is limited by its small borders – which could perhaps be expanded if the town annexed more land in the future, which Linden officials have seemingly considered but have not yet decided on. There are a few local businesses in Linden, but the closest grocery stores are 10 minutes away in either Erwin or Lillington or, if you live on the southern outskirts of Linden, Fayetteville.

As of the 2020 census, Linden boasts an official population of 136. Now, this measly statistic doesn’t account for the incredibly spread out community that is still part of the town, even if it does not reside within official city limits. I can’t give a proper estimate, but I’d say the actual population falls closer to around 2,000.

The road entering Linden from the west. Photo Credit: Emma De Noble

There are two historic churches in the town, one being Sardis Presbyterian Church (established in 1816, predating the town itself!) and the other being Þórshof, the second hof of the Asatru Folk Assembly. This Germanic pagan temple dedicated to Thor – established in 2020 – is a curious sight to see in a teeny town in a predominantly Christian area. 

Þórshof. Photo Credit: Emma De Noble

There is also an abandoned schoolhouse in Linden that I managed to explore over Thanksgiving break. It served the town’s kids in their elementary through high school education from the years 1922-1956. Today, the building is extremely structurally compromised. As I carefully walked up and down the empty halls with my two younger brothers and a friend, I frequently had to remind them to not stray too far and to be incredibly cautious in their laughter-filled wandering. Floors were caved in and rotting. Nearly every accessible surface in the building seemed to be vandalized with spray-painted profanities and tags. Windows were broken. Debris laid everywhere. But honestly, I can say in full confidence that while I definitely feared for my safety while inside, I am pleased beyond words that I got the chance to finally see what I had only passed by in the car for years and years.

The Linden School’s graduating class of 1945. This was the final year of only 11 grades in NC. Photo credit: Chris Davis Fox (via Facebook).

Linden School, Autumn 2025. Photo Credit: Emma De Noble

Back in the day, there was a rail service that still technically runs through town, although much less frequently nowadays. Much of Linden’s previously thriving economy was held up by the railroad, but when the rail business fell out of favor over the years throughout the country, Linden largely lost all of its economic momentum. However, this circumstance has certainly not stopped the town’s attempts to provide its people with a thriving community! There is the Town of Linden Little River Community Park, which has a loop of walking paths, a basketball and pickleball court, a playground, multiple picnic areas, a (kind of bare-bones) soccer field, and even a small splash pad. There is also a little community-based outreach library that has been in operation for many years, offering books and Wi-Fi services for residents. I used to go to the library all the time when I was much younger, and I hold a distinct memory of checking out a book that explained how babies were made from conception to birth… quite the shocking read for little me at the time.

In keeping with the spirit of the holiday season, one of the most fun parts of Linden’s history is Denton Ridge. While not necessarily lying within the official limits of town, this family owned Christmas-lights-and-town attraction made every winter a bit more magical. The farm/attraction operated from 2010 to its closure in 2018 due to declining health within the owners’ family. Along with the Christmas lights, the show also offers a tram ride, pictures with Santa, pony rides, a bluegrass band in a barn, plenty of animals to see, many early 1900’s buildings and vehicles, and a live nativity scene. My family and some friends went every December for a few years when I was a kid, and while the memories are a bit hazy now, veiled in twinkling lights, bonfires, and the soothing taste of warm apple cider, I do look back on those few years spent with loved ones very fondly. 


Much of Linden’s community is both entertained and protected by the Westarea Fire Department, which I (and my father, for much longer than I!) used to volunteer for. The department has three stations, one of which lies smack dab in the middle of town (Station 20). Every month, as far as I’m aware, Station 20 holds a very popular bingo night, of which I’ve bought and eaten plenty of concession chili-dogs and won my fair share of prizes (i.e. one singular game, once. I am very proud of that moment). The department puts up Christmas electric-pole light fixtures each year, and as I get ready to return to Salem for the spring semester, I took the time to appreciate them and remember the few years I helped put them up and take them down. 

I love this quaint little town dearly, and I can’t help but smile as I think that one day, if I don’t decide to move out west to live among the Rocky Mountains or overseas among the rolling hills of Ireland, I might just be able to settle down here and give back to the community that raised me and gave me a place to call home.

Down the road from my house; a field at sunset by the place where I rode horses for a few years. Photo Credit: Emma De Noble


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