Linden is in the northern part of Cumberland County near where the Cape Fear River and Little River meet. The original land for the town was part of a grant issued to Gilbert Patterson by King George II in 1744. The area’s first community was Choeffington, located roughly one mile east of Linden as it is today. The county’s first courthouse was built there in 1754 and was later relocated to Fayetteville in 1764. In 1800 when the railroad was constructed, people began to settle in what is now Linden. The first post office was established in 1896 and was given the name Linden. The name “Linden” came from a grove of nearby Linden trees. Linden trees no longer exist in the area. In 1901 a public school was built and the town was incorporated in 1913.