Self Guided Walking Tour

Henderson County was formed from the southern section of vast Buncombe County in 1838. The need for a new county was based on the increased settlers and commerce traveling the Buncombe Turnpike, an important road that stretched from Greenville, SC to Greenville TN. A portion of the Turnpike became Main Street and, with land given by Judge Mitchell King, Col. James Brittain and John Johnson, Hendersonville was chartered in 1847. The town matured slowly during the middle decades of the nineteenth century attracting a small collection of merchants, lawyers, and other professionals as well as innkeepers whose clientele were travelers along the Buncombe Turnpike.

With the arrival of the railroad in 1879, Hendersonville entered the modern era. In the ensuing decades, Hendersonville took shape as a center for shipping farm produce and a major destination for a thriving summer tourist industry. In response to the needs of the growing populace, commercial ventures multiplied on and around Main Street replacing the earlier wood framed residential structures of Main Street with brick Neo-classical buildings.

Today Main Street sparkles with charm and vitality. Along with the serious issues of preservation, dozens of entertaining events, such as the NC Apple Festival, Garden Jubilee and the Rhythm & Brews Concerts, take place downtown. Preservation, adaptive reuse and restoration of historic structures allow the City to weave together the best of yesterday and the excitement of tomorrow to make Hendersonville a place for every generation.