FLAT ROCK

The Hendersonville Farmer’s Market runs May through October.

garden and antique shows. From May through October, the weekly Hendersonville Farmers Market on Maple Street showcases fresh, local foods from area farmers. Downtown Hendersonville is further distinguished by its engaging public art. Since 2002, Hendersonville has given a nod to the black bears that live in North Carolina with the Bearfootin’ Public Art Walk. The walk exhibits bear statues created by local artists and sponsored by businesses. Each year after being on display on the main promenade from May through October, the bear statues are auctioned to raise money for local nonprofits and the enrichment of downtown programs, including community events, public art and other beautification efforts. The “Mountain Memory” fountain on Sixth and Main Streets pays homage to the region’s natural heritage by depicting the prominent peaks surrounding Hendersonville and the area’s rivers. A patriotic mural is found along King Street, paying tribute to veterans and their military service. The annual Hendersonville ArtScape Banner Project, a collaborative effort involving local arts organizations and other community partners, showcases about 40 banners displaying the work of talented regional artists. The Good of the Hive Mural on the back side of Hands On! Children’s Museum, which faces the Azalea Parking Lot on Third Avenue East, connects to the Downtown Art Route sidewalk mural project along King Street to Fifth Avenue and Maple Street.

Discover Hendersonville’s Attractions & Family Fun on page 54, and Cultural Pursuits on page 60.

329 N Main St., Hendersonville | 828.513.5008 MoonshineAndMagnolia.com

Explore the Main Street and 7th Avenue Districts that make up Historic Downtown Hendersonville. Enjoy farm fresh produce, family activities and live music every Saturday at the Hendersonville Farmers Market in the 7th Avenue District. Experience vibrant shopping, dining, and fun for all ages on Main Street during LoveHendo Saturday on the second Saturday of each month.

The entrance to Highland Lake Inn features a waterfall.

Flat Rock – Little Charleston of the Mountains

For centuries before settlement of the earliest land grants in the area between 1789 and 1799, the “Great Flat Rock” was a gathering place for the Cherokees for trading and socializing among themselves and other tribes. The area was a wilderness with nothing more than foot trails along streams, in gullies and over and around ridges. The first land grant in Flat Rock was to Revolutionary War veteran Abraham Kuykendall in 1792. In 1793, early land grantee John Earl (a.k.a., Earle) was paid to open a road from upstate South Carolina through the Saluda Gap to Flat Rock where he had a grist mill on what is now Highland Lake. Later, the 1820 completion of the Buncombe Turnpike over Native American trails and drover roads through Flat Rock and into South Carolina led to trade between the two areas. In 1827, Charles and Susan Baring of Charleston bought 400 acres and built Mountain Lodge, the first of many summer residences in Flat Rock. The Barings also built a private chapel on their property and in 1836, they deeded their chapel - which became St. John in the Wilderness - to the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. It is the oldest parish in the diocese and remains active today. Judge Mitchell King of Charleston came to Flat Rock in 1830 and renovated an old “two on two” trace mill house into a residence he named Argyle. This core portion of the house, which was built around 1815, makes Argyle the oldest dwelling in Flat Rock. Argyle also has the distinction of having the longest continuous possession in the same family of any place in Flat Rock and perhaps Western North Carolina. Baring and King continued to buy tracts of land at prices ranging from 25 cents to $1 an acre. Eventually, they acquired much of the Flat Rock area and then sold the tracts to other families from the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Within 20 years, Flat Rock became a colony of summer cottages and estates, thus earning its nickname of The Little Charleston in the Mountains. Today, the Village of Flat Rock retains the quiet sophistication of its Charleston heritage interwoven with the delightful flavor of the mountains. Many of the original historic homes remain today and have been lovingly restored and preserved.