Voting Problems and League of Women Voters
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, it was discovered that there were more registered voters than there were people living in Henderson County.
The late Sally Godehn and Francis “Francie” Sherman became concerned with local election irregularities and began a movement for election reform.
“There were more votes than people,” Sherman said. “They couldn’t get people to report for jury duty. They were pulling people off the street to serve.”
Other issues were discovered.
“Godehn used her movie camera to document duplicate voting. Her films, which showed people going from one polling place to the next, brought an abrupt halt to the practice.”
The efforts of Godehn and Sherman resulted in the formation of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, a non-partisan organization.
“At the first meeting on November 12, 1963, Mrs. Sherman was elected president because, as she stated in a Times-News interview, ‘Sally Godehn really was the organizer for our league, but she had made so many enemies that she knew she couldn’t get cooperation, so she asked me to take it. . . . We’d all been through the PTA and all these things in the community. I hadn’t made as many enemies.’”
For more information, visit http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20100328/SERVICES03/3281007
Landfill and Animal Shelter
In the summer of 1964, Henderson County began taking bids for equipment to open a landfill. On April 5, 1965, Henderson County transferred funds for the cost of operating a landfill on county-owned property. This property was the site of the Henderson County Home for indigent persons which had closed at the end of World War II and near the site of the Department of Transportation facility for the county and a minimum security state prison on Stoney Mountain Road. By 1976, the disposal of waste at the site became a joint venture with Henderson County and Hendersonville.
Henderson County also opened the animal shelter at the same location in 1964.
For the history of the disposal of refuse in the county prior to 1964, visit https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19780801&id=MW4dAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TCQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6633,3678329&hl=en
New Post Office
In 1966, a new post office for Hendersonville was built on Fifth Avenue West. The old post office became what is known today as the Federal Building at the corner of Fourth Avenue West and Church Street.
Political Leaders
Since 1960, Henderson County has consistently voted Republican in all Presidential elections.
Since Monroe Redden, there have been no people from Henderson County elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
N.C. General Assembly
State Senators
Three men from Henderson County served in the N.C. State Senate during the 1960s, representing more than one county.
1. Boyce Augustus Whitmire (1905-1989) Democrat – He served in the N.C. Senate from 1961 to 1963 representing Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Polk and Transylvania counties. In 1961, he was responsible for the designation of the Flat Rock Playhouse as the State Theater of NC. He was active with the Henderson County YMCA, the Lions Club, and the Elks Club, and was a founder of the Elks Camp for Boys. Also see http://hendersonheritage.com/political-leaders-2/
2. Harry Eugene Buchanan (1898-1974) Democrat – He served in the N.C. State Senate from 1967 to 1969 representing Haywood, Henderson and Polk counties. He was born in Sylva and moved to Hendersonville in 1932 where he managed the Carolina Theater. He was active with the WNC Fair and the Chamber of Commerce. He was also active at Western Carolina University before moving to Hendersonville and a dormitory is named for him at WCU. He was most known for his leadership in establishing the outdoor drama Unto These Hills in Cherokee. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1940, 1944 and 1956. He was a member of N.C. Highway Commission from 1953 to 1957. His grave site is in Sylva.
3. Carroll Weldon Wilkie (1927-2014) Republican – He served in the N.C. State Senate from 1969 to 1971 representing Henderson, Haywood and Polk counties. He was born in Fletcher, a son of Grover Wilkie and Jennie Dockings Wilkie. He married Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Wright. He was a sales representative for a motor carrier company in Asheville at the time of his election and later was a district supervisor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture serving Western North Carolina. He was active with the Hooper’s Creek Community Club. His grave site is at Hooper’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.
N.C. House of Representatives
1. John Troy Randall (1901-1979) Republican – He served in the N.C. General Assembly from 1961 to 1965. For more information, visit http://hendersonheritage.com/political-leaders-2/
2. Don Harvey Garren (1933-) Republican – He served in the N.C. General Assembly from 1965 to 1969 and was House minority leader. He was born in Henderson County, a son of Harvey H. Garren and Edith McKillop Garren. He attended Fletcher High School and was a graduate of Edneyville High School. He was a lawyer in Hendersonville and chairman of the county Republican Party for several years. He served as county attorney from 1978 to 1987.
3. James Theron Mayfield (1931-2008) Republican – He served in the N.C. General Assembly from 1969 to 1973. He was born in Anderson, S.C., and later lived in Buncombe County before moving to Henderson County. He was a financial analyst and accountant with General Electric for 25 years. His grave site is in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Hendersonville Mayor
1. Albert Victor Edwards (1891-1971) was elected mayor in 1932. Edwards was mayor for 37 years until 1969. For more information, visit: http://hendersonheritage.com/political-events-and-leaders-1930s/
2. Boyce Augustus Whitmire (1905-1989), Democrat, was elected mayor in 1969. He will serve as mayor from 1969 to 1977. (See above)