The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-02-28
After Many Years.

ilI. ". OihS AoJ1"A
Henderson After an Absence of
More than Forty Years Writes
About the Town as He Sees it
Now.
Hear land % cnkos and brither Scots.
From Maidcukirk TO johnny Grot--
If there's hole in y v"HI coats.
rcdc We tent II.
THprc- a chicl abroad. takiu notes.
.huI faith hell prrat it.
Henderson, Henderson" calls out
the porter on the train, and in lew
minutes get of ut Il neat ,up-t O-date
depot. The box ears and the depot
building shut On the view, except
along the track East AMI West. Born
and raised in Granville county it had
been forty years since ] set foot on
soil within the corporate Gf then it
had any, limits Of Henderson.
Wewere met at the depot by johnny
Thomas, OF Thomas Bros, druggists.
VINO j. a nephew. While talking to
him some one slapped me on tn"
shoulder and q by stander said Henry
Hart" ! turned and saw fine
looking, robust, apparently middle
aged man looking me earnestly III
the face. ! looked around III the
crowd for Henry Hart as had heard
his name called and OF all men want
ed to see my old friend "W. II. !
was beginning to feel distppoint-
ucut, when some one ut my elbow,
said, "Hcrc'5 Henry Hart" Then it
dIwncd upon me that this fine-look-
in~, robust, handsome man, smiling
down on me, was my old friend W.
II. Hart. didn't hug him but felt
like it. "Why, Henry. after hearing
several times that You were dead, /
expected ut most to meet an old, de-
rrrpit man, bending hall double, on
a long sOurWOOd stick, come tOtter
iug up to greet me. | knew you were
younger than I-pardon, that ! was
Older than you; but | could not give
other contemporaries credit for feel
Ium n young as | do. Why, my dear
friend. YOU have beaten Ponce De
Leon in the search for the spring Of
eternal youth, and beautytD You
did not 20 to Florida for it, either,
but must have found it right here III
Henderson, Oh ne, Oh. my. but, if
YOU are a surprise what more is your
town. Town better say city. The
experience Of Rip VanWinkle is not
i'll it with mine He slept only 20
years and ti@urativeIv | have slept
Il.
My lastrccollect'on and impression
nf Henderson WAS when it WAS only
Il stopping place for the Raleigh Il
CASTOR railroad train And what II
railroad it WAS then. There were ii
few croSs-ties laid down; on them
were laid long sill' with iron bars,
like wagon tires. nailed down on
these siIs for tine track, instead OF
the heavy iron bars now in Use. The
most conspicuous house was n long
twO-st0ry house called Il tavern"
The long building South East, and
across the street from the depot
looks as if it might now be the same.
I'm front OF that tavern, with n great
flourish. the Oxford stage drew up
every morning and evening.
But did not set out to write
about old Henderson. but the new,
otherwise | would cover too much
space, for
Drcpin the dark-n.d chambers of the brain
'ur thoughts lie buried IN many an endless
chain;
AWak" but one. and 10, what myrads risel
Each stamps it's image ~ the other hrs'
In the present rush there are brt
few Old-timers left who can enjoy
"reminiscences. At the end of forty
years there are but few business men
lett who were at the beginning The
Younger generation who were school
children then. and many then unborn,
have gradually assumed the burden
OF affairs, and they note the town
OuI Y from their first recollection Oft,
ana the changes were SO gradual that
like the growth OF children, they are
most fOrclbly impressed only on
those who have been long absent.
find that not only have the old
landmarks disappeared, but even
henderson is now i'll another county
and located on another railroad
while the site is i'll the same old place
ON the face OF the earth and the mar
OI the State. When knew it, it was
III Granville county and on the Raj
eIgl Gi3st0n railroad. Now it is il
Vance county and on the Seaboard
Air Line railroad. There are two
more railroads now, the Henderson
and Oxford (SOnthernl, which goes
North from Oxford to keysyille, Va.
and the Durham 4 Northern (Sea
board Air Llnel, to Durham. ma KING
three railroads which have been nc
inconsiderable factors in the building
up of the city.
The principal objects of civic prid,
III all cities are its school buildings
ITS opera houses, its city parks anC
its streets and sidewalks. OF these
except parks. which did not see i
there are any, the citizens of Hender
son have just cause to be proud
he central graded school building
III architectural beauty, in size. con
Vemence OF arrangement of teachers
rooms, and Typographical location
would be pointed to with pride in
city OF thirty thousand. There is alst
a colored college, managed by tn
Northern Presbyterian church. Tn
building is large and commodious.
There is a beautiful opera hous
costing S2O.O0O.0O. The streets ar
well graded. and paved with crushe,
granite. obtained from Quarries il
and near the city, of which there ar