Linden Hall Historic District

Last updated

Linden Hall Historic District
Dubsite Church, Linden Hall, PA.JPG
Dubsite Evangelical Church built in 1897
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationLinden Hall Road, Linden Hall, College Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°47′51″N77°45′41″W / 40.79750°N 77.76139°W / 40.79750; -77.76139
Area34.5 acres (14.0 ha)
Builtc. 1810
Built byJohn Irvin Sr.
Architectural styleVernacular, Gothic Revival, Federal
NRHP reference No. 90001409
Added to NRHPSeptember 5, 1990

The Linden Hall Historic District is located in Linden Hall, Harris Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, U.S. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The district incorporates the historic village of Linden Hall, which dates from the late 1700s. The resources within the district, which total 33 structures, range in date from 1810 to 1919. The district represents an excellent collection of diverse 19th and early 20th century vernacular dwelling styles representative of small rural villages in central Pennsylvania. Linden Hall is one of the oldest continually inhabited communities in western Penns Valley and closely resembles in its scale and mix of resources, other local villages which evolved around mills established in the early 19th century. [1]

Contents

The town originally developed as a mill site along Cedar Run around 1800. [2] The village expanded northward from the mill site throughout the 19th century. Though never very large, Linden Hall reached its greatest extent around the turn of the century. A train station was added to the village when the railroad was extended through the valley in 1885.

Today, the early commercial enterprises are gone, robbing Linden Hall of a central focus and leaving gaps among the homes that remain. Major buildings include the Rock Hill School, the Evangelical Methodist Church and the Irvin residence. Homes are principally Victorian in style and are of frame construction. Although some are only one story in height, most range from two to two-and-a-half stories. [3]

History of the village

The first people known to have settled in Linden Hall was the James Watson family who built a cabin along Cedar Creek sometime prior to 1778. The family left the area as a result of numerous Indian raids which forced many families from the area in the "Great Runaway" between 1778 and 1788. On their return, they brought with them an Irish immigrant, John Irvin, who later married their Daughter Anne. Irvin prospered and in 1808, built a grist mill at the narrowest spot on Cedar Creek. The mill and farm which Irvin established upstream of the mill site became the nucleus for what was to become the village of Linden Hall. Because of periodic fires, this location was to be occupied by a succession of two more mills until operations ceased in 1928. The mill was removed in 1938.

The village may have begun with the Irvin mill and farm, but the village grew in part from the establishment of three other farms and their associated buildings. These were established by John Tressler (1836), Daniel Hess (1857) and John Ross (1870). As these other farms were established during the nineteenth century, Linden Hall became a local service center and soon other homes were built and businesses started in the village. These early commercial enterprises included a cobbler shop operated by George Huss and three stores, two of which still exist in the district but are no longer in operation.

Daniel Hess, who established his farm in the area in 1857 and also operated a local store, was instrumental in having the Pennsylvania Rail Road come through Linden Hall. This event initiated a period of economic prosperity which lasted until about the mid-1920s. With rail transportation, it became feasible to commercially exploit stands of white pine and hemlock in the nearby mountains and in 1895, the Linden Hall Lumber Company was formed to log Bear Meadows and the area along Laurel Run in what is currently Rothrock State Forest. With the influx of workers for the nearby lumber mill and the establishment of a coal and lumber business at Linden Hall, a local boom ensued which was reflected by a marked increase in building activity. During the period from 1885-1900, six new homes, a new school, a church, and two new barns were built. The decline in the lumber industry and the rise of the automobile for transportation resulted in less traffic through Linden Hall, and construction declined after 1900. By 1920, passenger service was no longer offered through the village; however, freight rail continued until Hurricane Agnes destroyed portions of the Railroad Right of Way in 1972. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orangeville, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Orangeville is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The town's sign lists the population at 800 as of January 2021. The population in 2020 was 738. The population according to the 2010 census was 793, up from 751 in 2000. Using the 2020 population of 738 Orangeville is the 741st largest city in Illinois and the 11,650th largest city in the United States. Orangeville is currently declining at a rate of -0.94% annually and its population has decreased by -6.94% since the 2010 census. The area's earliest white settlers arrived in the year 1833, and the village was platted in 1851 by John Bower, who is considered the village founder. In 1867 Orangeville was incorporated as a village. The town's central business district contains several 19th century commercial buildings, many of which were built during the railroad boom of 1888–1914. By the time the Great Depression was ongoing, business in Orangeville had started to decline, with the last bank closing in 1932. In 1956 another bank started operating in the village and is still in town today. Some recent infrastructure jumps have restored some of the village's old decor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wakefield, Rhode Island</span> Village in Rhode Island, United States

Wakefield is a village in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, and the commercial center of South Kingstown. Together with the village of Peace Dale, it is treated by the U.S. Census as a component of the census-designated place identified as Wakefield-Peacedale, Rhode Island. West Kingston, another South Kingstown village, was the traditional county seat of Washington County. Since 1991, the Washington County Courthouse has been in Wakefield. The Sheriff's Office which handles corrections is also in Wakefield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Langley</span> Community in British Columbia, Canada

Fort Langley is a village community in Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of approximately 3,400 people. It is the home of Fort Langley National Historic Site, a former fur trade post of the Hudson's Bay Company. Lying on the Fraser River, Fort Langley is at the northern edge of the Township of Langley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Houghton County, Michigan</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Houghton County, Michigan.

Pequaming is an unincorporated community in L'Anse Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located on a narrow point of land that juts into Keweenaw Bay. Although still partially inhabited, Pequaming is one of the largest ghost towns in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapidan, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Rapidan is a small unincorporated community in the Virginia counties of Culpeper and Orange, approximately 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the Town of Orange. The community, located on both sides of the Rapidan River, was established in the late eighteenth century around the Waugh's Ford mill. The Orange and Alexandria Railroad built a line through the town in 1854, a post office was built at the river crossing, and its name was changed to Rapid Ann Station. Milling remained a major industry in the area up through the mid-twentieth century.

Williamsport was incorporated as a borough on March 1, 1806, and as a city on January 15, 1866. The city is the original home of Little League Baseball, founded in 1939 as a three-team league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauraville, Baltimore</span> United States historic place

Lauraville is a neighborhood in northeast Baltimore, Maryland. The neighborhood is bounded on the east by Harford Road, on the north by Echodale Avenue, on the south by Argonne Drive and Herring Run Park, and on the west side by Morgan Park and Morgan State University, with East Cold Spring Lane passing through the center of Lauraville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Houston County, Minnesota</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Houston County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Houston County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Saint Clair Street Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The West Saint Clair Street Historic District is a residential historic district located along 124–328 West Saint Clair Street in the village of Almont in Almont Township in southeast Lapeer County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan State Historic Site and also added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey Mills, Pennsylvania</span> Unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, United States

Jersey Mills is an unincorporated community in McHenry Township, Lycoming County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It lies along Pine Creek in the Pine Creek Gorge upstream of Waterville along Pennsylvania Route 414. Callahan Run enters Pine Creek at Jersey Mills. The Pine Creek Rail Trail passes through the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wycombe Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

The Wycombe Village Historic District is a national historic district that is located in Wycombe, Buckingham Township and Wrightstown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springtown Historic District</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

The Springtown Historic District is a national historic district that is located in Springtown, Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Valley Historic District</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

The Green Valley Historic District is a national historic district which is located in East Marlborough Township and Newlin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northbrook Historic District</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

The Northbrook Historic District, also known as Marshall's Mill and Marshall's Station, is a national historic district that is located in Newlin Township, Pocopson Township, and West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Boulevard Historic District</span> National historic district in Hampton, Virginia

Historic Little England is a national historic district located at Hampton, Virginia. The district encompasses 87 contributing buildings in a streetcar suburb originally laid out in 1888. The primarily residential district includes notable examples of the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles. Notable dwellings include the house of developer Frank Darling, Reed House, and the James Darling II residence (1927).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enfield Village Historic District</span> Historic district in New Hampshire, United States

The Enfield Village Historic District encompasses the historic 19th century village center of Enfield, New Hampshire. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. Multiple buildings of the district were added to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchendon Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Winchendon Village Historic District encompasses the 19th-century commercial center of Winchendon, Massachusetts. It extends along Front and School Streets from School Square to Spring Street, and continues north on Central Street as far as Summer Street. This area was developed primarily because of industrialization that took place along Miller's River beginning in the late 18th century and extending into the 1830s, and then expanded further with the arrival of the railroad in the area in the 1840s. This growth caused the area to eclipse the town's colonial town center. The area had risen to sufficient prominence by 1850 that the town hall was built there, which would be followed by other municipal buildings, including the 1913 Beals Memorial Library. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridge Street-Broad Street Historic District</span> United States historic place

The Bridge Street-Broad Street Historic District is a primarily commercial historic district located along three central blocks of Broad Street and two intersecting blocks of Bridge Street in Linden, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Lumber and Mining Company</span> United States historic place

The Missouri Lumber and Mining Company (MLM) was a large timber corporation with headquarters and primary operations in southeast Missouri. The company was formed by Pennsylvania lumbermen who were eager to exploit the untapped timber resources of the Missouri Ozarks to supply lumber, primarily used in construction, to meet the demand of U.S. westward expansion. Its primary operations were centered in Grandin, a company town it built starting c. 1888. The lumber mill there grew to be the largest in the country at the turn of the century and Grandin's population peaked around 2,500 to 3,000. As the timber resources were exhausted, the company had to abandon Grandin around 1910. It continued timber harvesting in other parts of Missouri for another decade. While some of the buildings in Grandin were relocated, many of the remaining buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as part of the state's historic preservation plan which considered the MLM a significant technological and economic contributor to Missouri.

References

  1. National Register of Historic Places, Linden Hall Historic District Registration Form, July 1990.
  2. National Register of Historic Places, Linden Hall Historic District Registration Form, July 1990.
  3. Historic Resources of the Centre Region, Centre Regional Planning Commission, 1982
  4. National Register of Historic Places, Linden Hall Historic District Registration Form, July 1990.