Built on an unusually generous scale, Linden was completed ca. 1825 for Lewis Brown, who inherited this inland farm from his father, Merriday Brown, a watchmaker and planter. Interestingly for an Essex County residence, its plan is that of a side-passage Federal-style town house.. While there was no practical reason for this urban scheme in a rural area, it nevertheless was employed intermittently for farmhouses during the Federal period. The house has fine quality brickwork and retains much of its early woodwork, including mantels, staircases, and pine flooring. The name of the property was probably derived from the large, now very old, linden trees that stand directly in front of the house. Located in the Occupacia-Rappahannock Rural Historic District, Linden includes an early graveyard and remnants of a terraced garden.