During the crisp autumn days
of October, Hendersonville Guided History Walks offers informative strolls in several
historic areas of town: along Main Street (Friday, October 4, 10 a.m.); in Oakdale
Cemetery (Friday, October 11, 10 a.m.); in the 7 th Avenue Historic Depot District (Friday,
October 18, 10 a.m.); and also a Murals, Mosaic, and Ghost Signs tour around downtown
(Friday, October 25, 10 a.m.)
Cost for each tour is $10 per person 10 years and older. Children under 10 are
free with a paid adult. Reservations are requested. Contact history walk leader Mary Jo
Padgett at maryjo@maryjopadgett.com or via the website at www.maryjopadgett.com to
make a reservation or to arrange a private tour for a group. To see the entire schedule for
2024, visit the website and click on the Guided Walks page. Private group tours can be
arranged at any time.
History on Main Street
On Friday, October 4, experience Historic Main Street with tour guide Mary Jo
Padgett by stepping back in time to answer such questions as — who donated the land
where the new town would be built, what is the age of the oldest block of buildings, what
was on the third floor (and in the basement) of the old City Hall, who was the town
named for, where was the Opera House, and learn about bordellos, shoot-outs, trolley
lines, and stories of life in the old days on Chinquapin Hill. The walk will start at 10 a.m.
at the front steps of City Hall, corner of Fifth Avenue E. and King St.
Oakdale Cemetery Stories and Historic Monuments
On Friday, October 11, join a guided tour of Historic Oakdale Cemetery,
Hendersonville’s municipal cemetery, to hear stories of the town’s early days through its
quirky, colorful citizens. The famous Italian marble monument which inspired the title of
Thomas Wolfe’s novel Look Homeward, Angel is in Oakdale, along with both marked

and unmarked graves of historic figures. The heritage of the local African-American
community is told in the historic Black section of the cemetery, while the designated
Jewish cemetery reveals how the town grew to embrace ethnic and religious groups
through the years. How and why the cemetery was created, names of those who helped
build the town and where they were laid to rest, where the Sunshine Lady is buried, and
more questions will be answered. The walk begins at 10 a.m. in the cemetery.
7 th Avenue/Historic Depot District – The Rise of Tourism
On Friday, October 18, meander through the historic part of town encircling the
Train Depot on Seventh Avenue East. When the first steam locomotive arrived in
Hendersonville on July 4, 1879, crammed with tourists and visitors from the low country
of South Carolina, it was the beginning of an exciting era of big-band music, dancing,
numerous inns and hotels, much real estate trading, and huge agricultural growth. Money
was made and lost, famous musicians and sports figures came calling, delicious food was
enjoyed at every inn and boarding house … Hendersonville was in its hey-day from that
moment until the financial crash of 1929. This neighborhood boasted many businesses
run by Black and white owners. The walk starts at 10 a.m. at the front steps of City Hall,
corner of Fifth Avenue E. and King St.
Murals, Mosaic, and Ghost Signs
On Friday, October 25, at 10 a.m., the walk begins in front of the Historic
Courthouse on Main St. Exploring along the side and back streets of downtown,
including a stroll to 7 th Avenue and back along Main St., we’ll learn the stories behind
more than 6 murals, including some very new ones, a mosaic made with 250,000 small
pieces of glass, and numerous ghost signs barely hiding in plain sight on old buildings.
“Locals and visitors alike can celebrate and share the interesting history and
architecture of Hendersonville,” Padgett said, “For example, learn how the rich natural
resources here – the local clay for brick, the hand-hewn foundation rock from local
quarries, and, in fact, the heritage carried from the earlier Cherokee lifestyle – have
contributed to our lives today.”
Padgett served on Hendersonville City Council for eight years, is a journalist and
public relations consultant, is co-founder and former executive director of ECO, was
associate editor at The Mother Earth News magazine, and conducts programs and guided
tours in Paris, France, on the American Revolution. Her parents spent their honeymoon
in the Skyland Hotel on Main Street. She grew up on a farm in Rutherford County, and
has lived in a 100-year-old house in downtown Hendersonville for 40 years.
To make reservations or get more information, call or text 828-545-3179 or email
maryjo@maryjopadgett.com . Visit www.maryjopadgett.com and click on Guided Walks
for a complete 2024 schedule.