About Henderson County

Henderson County

Nestled between the Great Smokies and Blue Ridge Mountains- Henderson county has been a favored place for over 100 years for both vacationers and the retirement communities. With mild summers and winters, plus beautiful springtime's it boast of incredible foliage, flowers as well as great trout fishing. Hendersonville were the seat of the Henderson county Democratic Party is located, is thriving as well as growing community that has managed to keep a small town charm with great family values.

Henderson was formed in l838 from Buncombe. It was name in honor of Leonard Henderson, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. It is in the western section of the State and is bounded by the state of South Carolina and Transylvania, Haywood, Buncombe, McDowell, Rutherford and Polk counties. The present land area is 374.00 square miles and the population was 89,173.

The first court was to be held at the home of Hugh Johnston, at which time the justices were to decide on a place for future courts until a courthouse was erected. Commissioners were named to acquire land, lay out a town, and erect a courthouse. This town was to be named Hendersonville. The commissioners selected a site which is now called Horse Shoe, but much dissatisfaction developed over the selection and two factions arose, one called the River party and the other the Road party. The River party favored the Horse Shoe site. In 1839 the Road party enjoined the sale of lots of the site selected at Horse Shoe and the controversy soon became so heated that the Legislature ordered an election to be held to determine the location by popular vote. The Road party was successful. In 1840 Hendersonville was laid out on land deeded by Michael King of Charleston, South Carolina, for that purpose. Hendersonville is the county seat.

HENDERSON'S COUNTY TITLE. As Chronicled in History of Western North Carolina - Chapter IV - Daniel Boone By John Preston Arthur, 1914

The valid ownership of the territory being [now] actually vested in the Cherokees, Henderson foresaw that the lands could be acquired only by lease or by purchase from that tribe, and he forthwith set about acquiring an accurate knowledge of the territory in question. To get this information the services of Daniel Boone were secured, and the latter must have "conferred with Judge Henderson at Salisbury where he was presiding over the Superior Court, and plans were 500fl outlined for Boone's journey and expedition. At this time Boone was very poor and his desire to pay off his indebtedness to Henderson [lawyer's fees] made him all the more ready to undertake the exhaustive tour of exploration in company with Finley and others"; but "at the time of Boone's return to North Carolina Judge Henderson was embroiled in the exciting issues of the Regulation. His plan to inaugurate his great western venture was thus temporarily frustrated; but the dissolution of the Superior Court (under the judiciary act of 1767) took place in 1773," and left Richard Henderson free to act as he saw fit.[29]

HENDERSON AND DANIEL BOONE. "In the meantime, Daniel Boone grew impatient over the delay . . and on September 25,1773, started from the Yadkin Valley for Kentucky, with a colony numbering eighteen men, besides women and children;" but, being attacked by Indians, and some of Boone's party, including his own son, having been killed, "the whole party scattered and returned to the settlements. This incident is significant evidence that Boone was deficient in executive ability, the power to originate and execute schemes of colonization on a grand scale . . . Boone lacked constructive leadership and executive genius. He was a perfect instrument for executing the designs of others. It was not until the creative and executive brain of Richard Henderson was applied to the vast and daring project of Western colonization that it was carried through to a successful termination."[30]

HENDERSON'S SCHEME DENOUNCED. "When, on Christmas Day, 1774, there was spread broadcast throughout the colony of North Carolina 'Proposals for the encouragement of settling the lands purchased by Messrs. Richard Henderson & Co., on the branches of the Mississippi river from the Cherokee tribe of Indians,' a genuine sensation was created." Archibald Neilson, deputy auditor of the colony, asked "Is Richard Henderson out of his head?" and Governor Josiah Martin issued "a forcible-feeble proclamation against Richard Henderson and his confederates in their daring, unjust and unwarrantable proceeding. In letters to the Earl of Dartmouth, Martin speaks scathingly of 'Henderson, the famous invader,' and of 'the infamous Henderson and his associates' whom he dubs 'an infamous company of land Pirates.' He denounced their project as a 'lawless undertaking,' and 'an infraction of the royal prerogative.' But these 'fulminations' were unheeded and 'the goods already purchased were transported over the mountains in wagons to the Sycamore Shoals.' "[31]