Notable Men of Henderson County: Charles de Choiseul Part I
By: Dan Gibbs Charles de Choiseul’s time in Henderson County was short but he had a major impact on the area and was returned to his final resting place at St. John’s in the Wilderness church, a Civil War hero. He was born in France around 1818 to Xavier comte de Choiseul and Sarah Johnes. […]
Notable Men of Henderson County: The Life & Legend of Abraham Kuykendall
By Dan Gibbs Abraham Kuykendall was born in New York in 1719 and he was in his 60’s when he served in the Revolutionary War. The veteran Kuykendall was one of what was to become Henderson County’s first settlers. He was awarded a land grant of 600 acres by the state of North Carolina in […]
Notable Men of Henderson County: Xavier de Choiseul
By Dan Gibbs Count Marie Joseph Gabriel St. Xavier de Choiseul was born in France in the late 1700’s and was connected to French royalty because he was a cousin to King Louis-Phillippe XV. He was named French consul to Charleston in 1831 and it was a position he held until 1856. He and his […]
Notable Men of Henderson County: C.G. Memminger
By Dan Gibbs C.G. Memminger was born in Wurttemberg, Germany in 1803. His father died within a month of his birth and his mother immigrated to Charleston soon after. She died in 1807 from yellow fever and Memminger was placed in an orphanage. At the age of 11, Memminger was taken in by prominent Charleston […]
Notable Men of Henderson County: Abraham Kuykendall
Abraham Kuykendall was born in New York in 1719 and he was in his 60’s when he served in the Revolutionary War. The veteran Kuykendall was one of what was to become Henderson County’s first settlers. He was awarded a land grant of 600 acres by the state of North Carolina in the late 1780’s […]
Notable Men of Henderson County: Charles Baring II
Charles Baring II was born into the Barings Banking family in London, England in 1774 and was living in Charleston, SC when he wed Susan Heyward. The marriage was his first and Baring was her fifth husband. Susan inherited a substantial sum of money from her husband James Heyward when he died. Baring II started […]
The Roaring Twenties Part V
The Roaring Twenties in Hendersonville was a time of great growth and prosperity. North Carolina passed a Prohibition Amendment of their own in 1909 and the 18th Amendment turned the local blockade distillery into a lucrative and dangerous business. Local law enforcement and the federal government in the form of Revenue enforcement officers waged war […]
The Roaring Twenties Part IV
During the 1920’s there was a section on Main Street near 4th Avenue West existed below street level that became known as “Underground Hendersonville.” According to most local historians, Underground Hendersonville came into existence in the 1920’s. Some of the earliest “legitimate” businesses in Underground Hendersonville was a barber shop, a beauty salon, and a […]
The Roaring ‘20’s Part III
The turn of the 20th Century saw a lot of growth in Hendersonville. The Railroad was bringing tourists and summer residents to Hendersonville by the carload but with more tourists and population growth brought more issues to be dealt with. Automobiles were becoming commonplace and North Carolina enacted their own Prohibition law in 1909, ten […]
Tales from the Dark Corner of Henderson County: The Roaring 20s of Hendersonville Part 2
In the years leading up to the 1920’s in Hendersonville, blockade distilleries and the making of moonshine was commonplace whether it was being made for personal consumption or for profit. The making of moonshine was not illegal unless taxes were not paid on it, and that is where blockade distilleries got their name. Several areas in […]
