Have old photos of Hendersonville?

If it’s been years since you’ve combed through old family photos, Sara Beth Gideon urges you to take a fresh look.

Rock Castle’s executive director was approached earlier this year by Arcadia Publishing, a leading publisher of local and regional history books, to help compile a photographic history of Hendersonville. The company has published similar books about Sumner County and Gallatin.

“They noticed how fast Hendersonville was growing and they wanted to try to catalog some of the city’s history before it’s too late,” said Gideon, director of the city’s only state historic site.

Gideon is looking for original photos, from as early as 1784 when the first map of Tennessee was drawn using surveys drafted by Rock Castle founder Daniel Smith, through the 1980s.

From a historic shot of Main Street or any of its local businesses in the early 1900s to a photo of Johnny and June Carter Cash’s home or Twitty City during its heyday, Gideon says she’s looking for anything that captures the character and history of the city.

So far the task has been harder than she thought it would be.

Gideon says she needs at least 180 original photographs in order for the project to come to fruition. So far she’s only managed to find a third of that.

She’s not sure if that’s because the city is relatively young — only officially incorporating in 1969 — or because residents may not realize the value of what they have.

Even depictions of everyday life like playing in the snow or posing on the front porch could have historical value, according to Gideon.

“I’m hoping people will come forward and realize how many photos there are of Hendersonville,” she said.

Participants won’t have to worry about parting with their photos. They can bring them by Rock Castle for Gideon to scan electronically and then take them back home, she said.

The last such book of Hendersonville photos and history was published in 2009 as a project of Jim Lind’s 2008 honors topics class at Hendersonville High School. “Remember When”included photos of Hendersonville from 1900 to 1957 as well as essays from several longtime residents who have since died including Dink Newman, the city’s first mayor and L. W. Oliver Jr., the city’s first postmaster whose son Louis Oliver III was recently elected Sumner County Chancellor.

“This book will be taking that book to the next level,” Gideon said adding that Arcadia will market the book to local stores like Barnes Noble.

Reach Tena Lee at 615-575-7116 or follow on Twitter @tenalee1.

To get involved

To share your photographs and stories, contact Sara Beth Gideon at 615-824-0502 or director@historicrockcastle.com by July 1.

Have old photos of Hendersonville?

No comments :