Religion
The majority of the county’s churches and denominations were organized prior to 1950. In 1950, Henderson County was still predominately Baptist, followed by Methodist.
Churches that formed during the 1940s include Naples Baptist Church in 1942, Mountain View Missionary Baptist Church in Tuxedo in 1947, First Church of Christ Scientist in 1946 on Fifth Avenue West, the First Congregational Church in 1947, the First Church of the Nazarene in 1947 on First Avenue West, and the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Bat Cave in 1948.
By 1950 there is also the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses at 810 Kanuga Street, the Church of God on Willow Road, Calvary Baptist Church on Grove Street, the Fundamental Gospel Church on Washington Street, the Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church on Washington Street, Pentecostal Holiness Church on Cherry Street, Shaw’s Creek Baptist Church near Horse Shoe, Valley Hill Baptist Church in the Valley Hill community, Hendersonville Wesleyan Methodist Church on Seventh Avenue East, two Church of God locations on Cherry Street and Oak Street, a Church of God and Christ on Oak Street, and Union Grove Baptist Church on Ashe Street.
Education
The number of schools in Henderson County and Hendersonville remain at the same number during the 1940s, except for the black schools.
The black schools in Edneyville and Horse Shoe/Etowah will close and students must go to East Flat Rock or Brickton. This long ride to school, especially for the younger children, was so long that many parents did not send their children to school. Therefore, the education of the black population became worse instead of improving.
The 12th grade was added to the high schools in the early 1940s.
A School for Little Folks, one of the first pre-schools in Henderson County, was located on Fleming Street.
From 1930 to 1950, the median grade completed for the population was the eighth grade. But, this statistic includes the elderly population who attended the small community schools in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and students still in school.
Private schools included Fassifern School for Girls on Fleming Street, Blue Ridge School for Boys on U.S. 64 East, Immaculata Catholic School on Buncombe Street, and the Fletcher Academy, Captain Gilmer Elementary and the Fletcher Hospital School of Nursing in Naples.
A total of 376 persons in Henderson County were employed in education in 1950. Ninety-eight of those persons were working in the private schools.
Health Care
After World War II, health care begins to grow rapidly in the county. More doctors begin moving to the region after World War II.
In 1946, a group of doctors began a movement to build a new hospital and close the Patton Hospital on Highland Avenue. Pardee Hospital was officially opened and dedicated in 1953 at its current location.
Mountain Sanitarium and Hospital (Park Ridge Hospital) in Naples, began by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was also still in operation, along with its School of Nursing.
The Valley Clinic and Hospital opens in Bat Cave in 1948 by Dr. George Bond.
There is also a listing under hospitals in the 1950 directory for St. Mary’s of the Mountains on Fleming Street.
In the “Miller’s Directory,” there are 19 physicians listed in Hendersonville, along with six dentists, three optometrists, three chiropractors and four veterinarians. This number most likely does not count doctors and health care staff at the hospital in Naples (Fletcher).
According to the 1950 census, 230 people in Henderson County worked in medical and health care.