Historic Cemeteries | Henderson Heritage

They are found in pastures surrounded by cows, in apple orchards, in laurel thickets, alongside creeks and rivers, in fields surrounded by crops and deep in the woods where it takes long hikes to reach them. Some are so overgrown with vines, poison ivy and other underbrush they can no longer be seen.
And some have been plowed under the ground, are underneath houses and destroyed in countless other ways.
Some are in well maintained church cemeteries and public cemeteries.
These are the graves of the founders of Henderson County, the first pioneer settlers, the freed blacks and slaves. They are the ancestors of thousands of residents.
The men and women raised families, built homes and churches, began the first businesses, farmed, planted apple trees and built the county’s towns. They served as legislators, commissioners, sheriffs, mayors, doctors, midwives, police chiefs, justices of the peace, magistrates and ministers.
Many fought in the Revolutionary War. They fought as Confederates and for the Union during the Civil War. They were in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War. They fought and died in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
They are the history of Henderson County, a history that many say is being lost, forgotten and neglected.

Beginning in October 2005, a series of articles on cemeteries in Henderson County was published in the Hendersonville Times-News and written by Jennie Jones Giles. The series covered the majority of family cemeteries and continued with some church cemeteries. The series was not completed.
Links to these articles, updated information and new articles on the cemeteries in the county can be found at the bottom of this page. The cemeteries are organized by communities. There are also links to grave sites of Revolutionary War Patriots, Civil War veterans (Confederate and Union), veterans who served in the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War, men who died in World War I, and the men who died in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and in the Dominican Republic.

Many of the historic cemeteries, family and church, are located on private property. Many may not be visited without permission of the property owner. For questions and/or directions to a cemetery, call Toby Linville, director of Henderson County Code Enforcement Services, at (828) 697-4857.
The Henderson County Historic Cemetery Advisory Board works to preserve the historic cemeteries in the county. The board meets at 6 p.m. the third Monday of each month.
The Henderson County Cemeteries book may be accessed on the Henderson County NC Official Website at http://www.hendersoncountync.org/ces/cemetery/cemeterybook.html
The book is also available for study and research at the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society at 400 S. Main Street.
The book was published in 1995 by the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society. It is published on the Henderson County NC Official Website by permission of the Board of Directors of the Henderson County Genealogical & Historical Society, Inc., August 26, 2011. Currently, the Henderson County Cemetery Advisory Board is in the process of updating the book and making corrections to the book.
Maps by Knox Crowell (graphics) and Jennie Jones Giles (research and history) detailing the location of the cemeteries are located at the Henderson County Register of Deeds office in the courthouse on Grove Street, the Henderson County Public Library on Washington Street, the Henderson County Code Enforcement Services at 100 N. King St., and the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society at 400 S. Main St. The map was originally published by the Hendersonville Times-News and later by the Henderson County Heritage Museum, the Henderson County Code Enforcement Services and Planning Department, and the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society.