The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-07-29
ONE HOTEL, NO
PAVEDSTREETS.
here IN 1896.
R. H. Station Recalls Ill
Feeling When Main St.
Trees Were Felled
By JUDGE r. n. STATION

i'm HenderSonville in the past d"
years.
When | came to HenderSonville
in 1895 to make it my home, the
town was a village with just a
few small boarding houses and
one hotcl-the old Globe hotel,
run by the late Judge Z. NJ. Pace.
This hotel and the limited num-
Der Of boarding houses were am
ply able TO care for the few trav-
cling men and visitors who came
to this pace on business or pleas
urG.
The streets at that time were
unpaved and at times very mud
DIV. Main street had row OF
large aspen trees along the uH-
paved sidewalks, and row OF the
same kind of trees down the CEN
ter of the street. These trees
were very beautiful and much
talked about by the visitors who
came TO Hendersonville. As stat
cd above, the streets at times be-
came very muddy and in order to
cross from one side of a street to
the other our city fathers had set
M cobblestoneS about three feet
apart across the streets at the
crossings. and any one going over
had 20 watch his or her step to
keep from landing in the mud.
Later on, these stones were taken
up and plankS were laid down for
crossing. This made a much SAT-
or way to cross the streets, but
was hard on the person who had
TO drive over them with horse
drawn vehicle.
The town was lighted at night
by coal oil lamps set up on posts
at the corners of the streets, and
MANY are the times | have seen
Henry Justice with his step ladder
in his hand in the late afternoon
going from post to post lighting
these lamps, and in the morning
he had to make the same trip
around to put out the lighted
lamps. -.
In addition to the trees in the
streets, there was horSe-drawn
street railway car track which had
been built by Col. S. V. P!cEens'
This street railway extended from
the Southern railway station up
Seventh avenue to Main street,
and down Main street to Col.
Dickens law office near the lower
end of Main street. There was a
branch line running up Sixth ave
nue. to Park Hill hotel. At that
time a small. observation tower
was built where the hotel now
stands.
This street car was supposed TO
run on schedule time and to make
regular trips, but if you were 60
ing one way and the car was go
ing the other, you could hail the
driver and tell him you wanted
a ride in the opposite direction,
and he would unhitch his mules
and hitch them to the other end
of the car and away you would
90, and this change and your ride
SOSl yOu AAANnNA'
The town rocked along for sew
eral years with conditions existing
as described above, and then a
bond issue was voted and Main
street had its first paving laid,
and then came our electric lights.
In order to have the streets
paved they had to be graded, and
to grade the streets the fine
shade trees on either side of the
street and down the center had to
be pulled down. Many of the citi-
zens objected to this, and some
of these directors threatened to
use shotguns on Mr.. w. F. Ed
wards, the gentleman who had the
paving contract. if he touched a
tree in front of their property.
One beautiful morning | arose
early and walked out on the street
and TO my great surprise found
all these fine trees flat in the
street. Mr.. Edwards had used
some kind of tractor and had pull
ed all the trees down during the
night. Being deputy sheriff OF the
county, was very much worried
over the matter as | expected
would have to make several ar.
rests, but our people saw they
were whipped and meekly submit
ted.
Property values on Main street
and other streets of the town be-
fore the electric lights were in.
stalled and Main street was paw.
ed, were small. The best lots were
being offered at from 500 to
5000 per lot. You could buy lots
in the block where the State Trust
company building is located as low
as $500 per lot.
1t has been interesting, indeed
to see the many changes and. i'm.
provements which have taken
place in Hendersonville since the
first paving was laid on MAR
street. This improvement in the
streets and the installing of the
electric lights, in my opinion
formed the turning point in the
upward trend of our city.