When the crossroads of Governor’s Road and Lynden Road was settled in 1840, it was first known as Vansickle’s. In 1852 at an acrimonious meeting to decide on a name it was decided to call it Lynden after a pleasant town in Vermont that was fondly remembered by one of the inhabitants.
Whereas most of Beverly was made up of swamp, the land in and around Lynden was mostly pine forest. Lynden therefore had much more industry potential than much of the rest of Beverly. One of the steam sawmills had the capacity of turning out one thousand feet of lumber per hour. It was formerly called by some the township of shingles. Despite the large amount of milling in the area, the population remained quite small. Many of the first families who settled in Lynden are still living on their original family farms. Today, most of the old mills have disappeared and the area is dominated by dairy and sod farms. With the completion of the Great Western Railway to the north of the village, businesses grew up on Lynden Road.
Explore the buildings Lynden has lost through history while enjoying the charm that still remains. This free roam tour allows you to discover Lynden’s history in your own way – there’s no set route to take! Explore the map here on our website or download the free PocketSights app on Google Play or the App Store.
