The mayor of Hendersonville recently declared it to be "The Friendliest City for Retirees in America!" We think it’s pretty friendly to most everybody. During sweltering summers in the 1800s, residents from the Low Country of South Carolina would journey up the mountain to find relief in the cool air. There were so many Charlestonians that spent summers here that it became known as Little Charleston.
It is often said, "you can’t go home again." In fact, Thomas Wolfe from nearby Asheville wrote a book about it and was further inspired by an Italian marble angel in Oakdale Cemetery to pen Look Homeward Angel.
Walking just a short distance down Main Street, you’ll feel right at home in Downtown Hendersonville. And you’ll be walking in the footsteps of many famous visitors like George Vanderbilt, who stayed in Hendersonville part of the time while the Biltmore Estate was being built. Built in 1905, The Syndicate Building has hosted civic groups, shoppers, and even hosted a "turkey drop," and today it extends an invitation to you to wander back in time.
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We Arrived on April 30, 1980
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On a cool spring day in 1980, April 30 to be exact, a young family arrived in the mountains of North Carolina. After a long drive from Florida in a UHaul and a pickup truck, they were about to begin their lives' work in an old general store. In this short video blog, you'll hear what their first impressions were ... in Faye's own words. -
Boredom Buster #3
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Who's ready for another diversion or two? By now, our new routines are, well, routine. Get up, make coffee, fix breakfast, send the students to school in one corner of the living room and set up the office on the kitchen table. We don't know about you, but it sure is hard to get the 250 steps per hour now because the coffee pot is a lot closer (and so is the restroom). This week's Boredom Busters will revisit a skill that many of us have let slip in the days of GPS (but it's still important), offer up a few podcasts for your enjoyment, and send a jigsaw puzzle or two your way. -
Grab a Bite at the Store
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Back 40 years ago, you couldn't grab a bite to eat in the Valle. It meant a drive to Boone or to Banner Elk or to Mountain City over in Tennessee. That is until John and Faye Cooper decided to open the Mast Store Deli. Sandwiches and soups were served in the back of the store. Here's a little of that story, including a bit of it in Faye's own words. -
Mast Store Memories: A Look Back at 1980
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What were you doing 40 years ago? The year was 1980, and the country was in the middle of the hostage crisis in Iran, facing a recession, and trying to solve the mystery of who shot J. R. Ewing. That’s the big picture, but what was happening in Valle Crucis, NC? Maybe it was a little magic. We’re stepping into our time machine and turning back the clock for a look at the rebirth of the Mast General Store.
If we said the words “The Syndicate,” what would you think? Whoa, not that! How about the home of the Mast Store in Hendersonville? When it was built, it was called “The Syndicate Building.” Its been the home of many retailers and a benevolent society.
*Photo: Maxwells Fancy Grocery in Downtown Hendersonville circa 1910, in the Syndicate Building. From the Barber Collection.
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