The Old Linden Firehouse had a tree growing inside of it when volunteer workers brought their shovels and saws to clear and clean it up Saturday.
The roof had partially fallen in and so much other trash was on the inside of the former ambulance shelter that a tractor was used to lift out the heavy stuff.
Restoration of the Old Firehouse is a community project led by the Linden Heritage Foundation. The Linden Firehouse is a New Deal Era-civic building recently placed on Preservation Texas' Most Endangered Places list for 2016 and also eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1935, when Linden was a town of 900, the city owned a single fire engine and kept in a rented facility until the fire station could be built in 1939. Volunteer firemen had a sleeping room upstairs.
The Linden Heritage Foundation was formed in September 2015 to encourage preservation of historic structures, sites, objects and customs related to Linden.
The idea for a volunteer day of work effort came after it was learned the restoration project would start with a professional assessment of the structure. The building and grounds needed to cleared.
"A lot of dirt needed to be moved," said Mary Dowd, one of the volunteers.
"This was back in the hot summer. So, the board met and said we just can't let John do the work by himself. So the idea for a volunteer work day came. We voted on it and set the date."
Among those providing help during the workday were 25 people needing to complete community service hours from the Cass County County Court at Law as presided over by Justice Donald W. Dowd.
"Everyone who was here just got after it early in the morning with a lot of muscle and hard work," Lazara said.