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HENDERSON COUNTY HISTORY
VOTER REGISTRATION
Board of Elections 75 E Central Street, Hendersonville 828-697-4970 HendersonCountyNC.org/Elections
To register and be eligible to vote, individuals must be US citizens, 18 years old by the next general election and have been permanent and legal residents of North Carolina and in the precinct they’re registering in for at least 30 days prior to an election. Voter Registration Applications can be requested from the Henderson County Board of Elections Office by mail, phone, e-mail, in person or downloaded from the website. Forms also are available at the library, DMV and other government agencies. Mail the completed form to the Henderson County Board of Elections, PO Box 2090, Hendersonville, NC 28793. Henderson County also offers OneStop Voting and “No Excuse Voting” for all elections. Registered voters may vote early by mail or in person.
Mills River Town Hall is also home to the Mills River Library.
POST OFFICES
The main Hendersonville Post Office at the Blue Ridge Mall at 1800 Four Seasons Blvd. in Hendersonville offers mail and passport services. Post office branches throughout Henderson County include locations in Bat Cave, Dana, East Flat Rock, Edneyville, Etowah, Flat Rock, Fletcher, Gerton, Horse Shoe, Mountain Home, Naples, Saluda and Zirconia. Visit USPS.com for specific operating hours and services.
Henderson County Sheriff’s Office App This interactive, mobile app allows residents to connect with the Sheriff’s Office and receive public safety news and information. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store by searching “Henderson County Sheriff.” The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office also is on NextDoor, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Residents also can sign up at NIXLE.com to receive public safety alerts. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office app, however, is the main form of communication that the Sheriff’s Office uses to communicate with the public.
Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Reassurance Program This free service is for elderly Henderson County residents who live alone. Seniors must call Communications by 10AM each morning to verify their well-being. Call 828-697-4912 to sign up.
Smart911 Citizens can create safety profiles that are visible to telecommunicators during an emergency. Details can include information about medical issues, contact lists, pet information and floor plans. Smart911 is completely private and secure. Visit Smart911.com to register. Text to 9-1-1 While it is always better to call 9-1-1 if possible, this service allows people to send text messages to emergency services as an alternative to placing a phone call. Significant benefits of this service include accessibility for members of the community who are hard of hearing, deaf or speech-impaired. Text to 9-1-1 can also aid in situations when a crime is in progress, a caller is facing domestic abuse or a caller’s injury is making speech impossible.
Home & Personal Safety This program provides residents with strategies to better protect themselves, their homes, property and vehicles from crime. The District Captains meet with Home Owners Associations and community groups to present this information and material to educate citizens.
Other programs District Captains have implemented and presented to these groups are “Scams & Frauds” and “Avoid, Deny, Defend.” “Scams and Frauds” provides citizens with information about current trends being used by scammers. “Avoid, Deny, Defend” is a program for active assailants that is given to businesses to assist them in setting up Emergency Preparedness Planning.
Visit HendersonCountyNC.gov/Sheriff for more about these and other public safety initiatives.
An aerial view of Hendersonville’s early beginnings from Toms Hill. Photo Credit: Baker-Barber Collection; Community Foundation of Henderson County; Henderson County Public Library
Henderson County – A Brief History in Time
The descendant of at least 30 of the earliest pioneer settlers in Henderson and Polk counties, Henderson County native Jennie Jones Giles has spent decades studying and sharing local history and genealogy. Extensive information and timelines about Henderson County’s history, heritage, families, communities, cemeteries and more can be found at HendersonHeritage.com. The following timeline, which is based on information provided by Giles, summarizes historical highlights about Henderson County:
1600s TO 1700s
1600s England claims land east of Eastern Continental Divide. France claims land west of the “Divide.” 1791 Buncombe County is formed from Burke and Rutherford Counties. Today’s Henderson County is located within Buncombe County. 1797 Mills River Academy is established.
1673 A century of trade begins between the Cherokee people and the British. Through the Early 1700s Indigenous tribes, the Cherokee, Catawba and Cheraw, call Henderson County home. 1768 Settlers begin moving to areas in present day Henderson County. 1779 Rutherford County is formed and includes land in Henderson County east of the Eastern Continental Divide. 1782 The first documented church, Old Mountain Page, is formed. 1783 North Carolina changes the boundary line with the Cherokee, taking most of what is today’s Henderson County and places it in Rutherford County and Burke County.
1800S
During this time, many pioneer inns and taverns are established throughout the county - Abraham Kuykendall’s inn and tavern in Flat Rock, William Murray’s Inn in Fletcher, John Davis’ Oakland in Green River and Drovers’ stops in Bat Cave & Gerton. Early 1800s King Bridge, the first bridge over the French Broad River, is built in Rugby by the Samuel King family.
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1810 Many agriculture crops are sold through the 1860s, including cabbage, beans of all varieties, other vegetables, dairy products, peaches and grapes. 1820 The Peter Guice Bridge, the first bridge over the Green River, is built near Howard Gap Road. 1824 The Old Buncombe Turnpike is chartered and closely parallels present day U.S. 225. Construction is completed in 1828. 1826 The first Post Office is established in Claytonville, present day Etowah, with John Clayton serving as Postmaster. 1827 Lime begins being quarried in the Fletcher area. Rock quarries remain throughout the area from the 1820s to present day. 1827 Summer visitors from the Lowcountry of South Carolina begin building summer homes in Flat Rock and Fletcher, which begins tourism in the area. 1830 The Blue Ridge Academy is established in Dana. 1838 Henderson County is established from Buncombe County. It included most of today’s Transylvania County and some of today’s Polk County. Named for Leonard Henderson, a North Carolina Supreme Court judge from Granville County, who had recently passed away. 1839 The Henderson County government is organized. 1840 Stagecoaches begin regular routes through the county. 1841 A referendum election is held to determine Hendersonville as the county seat. After establishment, the first building is completed and the first courthouse is built. 1844 About half of today’s Polk County is annexed into Henderson County from Rutherford County. 1847 The City of Hendersonville is incorporated. 1851 Present-day Fletcher and Hooper’s Creek areas are moved into Henderson County from Buncombe County. 1855 Polk County is created from much of the land in the 1844 boundary. 1855 The first newspaper, The Carolina Baptist, is published 1858 Judson College, also known as Western North Carolina Female College, is established by the Baptist Association. 1861 Transylania County is created from Henderson and Jackson Counties. 1865 Shaw’s Creek AME Zion Church (Logan’s Chapel), the first Black church in the county is established and organized by newly freed slaves in Horse Shoe. About 1875 Hendersonville’s Police Department is formed. 1879 The railroad and telegraph are completed to Hendersonville and the Hendersonville Train Depot is built. 1880s Thomas Edison visits the area and Zircon crystals are mined in today’s Zirconia for his new lights. 1880 Farmers begin to ship surplus vegetables by train. 1886: The railroad is completed to Asheville. 1888 Saluda, built by the railroad, incorporates as a second town. It is home to the Saluda Grade, the steepest mainline grade east of the Mississippi River. 1888 The first public water supply is introduced to the City of Hendersonville.
Hendersonville celebrates it’s 175th anniversary in 2022.
Hendersonville’s Historic Train Depot and Seventh Avenue district in the 1920s. Photo Credit: Baker-Barber Collection; Community Foundation of Henderson County; Henderson County Public Library
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