Henderson

Susan Sommers Thurman

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN: 9780738553559
• eBook ISBN: 9781439619575
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

These vintage picture postcards take readers on a trip through the history of Henderson. Featured are the citys many remarkable parks, businesses, hotels, schools, and homessome lost to time and some transported into the 21st century. The images and stories in this book will entertain and educate architecture buffs, rail fans, river enthusiasts, historians, and visitors and residents, past and present.

Two

LEISURE TIME

Henderson’s Atkinson Park, a mile north of the downtown area, is nestled on a tall bluff, with the Ohio River on the west and North Elm Street on the east. On June 29, 1895, former mayor John C. Atkinson honored his father by giving the city half interest in 74 acres of land that at that time lay just outside the city limits and that joined a section called Reservoir Park, where the waterworks was then located. The land had been purchased from heirs of A. B. Barret for $100 an acre.

After John C. Atkinson’s untimely death at age 42, local citizens began thinking about a fitting tribute for him. At that time, some encouraged the idea of a swimming pool, but others felt that would be “of questionable taste;” in the end, $1,000 was raised to erect the twin stone pillars that mark the original entrance to the park. Ironically, the pillars stand beside the swimming pool that was finally built in 1937.

Shortly after acquiring the land donated by John C. Atkinson, the city appropriated funds to clear the area’s woods and to erect several buildings, including a dance pavilion, a residence for the park keeper, and barbecue pits. Visible in the rear of this picture is the tower of the city’s waterworks. (Courtesy of Pam Austin.)

From its beginning, Atkinson Park was the scene of many social functions, including dances in the original pavilion (the building on the left of the driveway and seen as a close-up in the postcard below) and picnics along Tompson Lake, a man-made lake located where the swimming pool now sits.

This postcard, postmarked 1907, shows the original dance pavilion where many get-togethers took place during the early days of Atkinson Park. The pavilion sat on the south side of the road that wound through the park, close to its entrance. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built another pavilion, but it was eventually destroyed by fire on November 10, 1967.

Atkinson Park was home to Tompson Lake (seen in this postcard), golf links, and a tennis court. It was also the site of more unusual activities, such as the 1923 Labor Day greased-pole contest. The local boy who was first to reach the top of the pole could grab the $5 prize. That same year, the Atkinson Park bear escaped and was eventually caught near Eighth Street. That bear and its later companion were sold during the Depression.

The structure behind Tompson Lake advertises Pargyny’s, a downtown confectionery owned by Frenchman Hippolyte Pargyny and his Swiss wife, Sophie. After enjoying Atkinson Park, locals could stroll downtown to Pargyny’s, located in the 1873 building at 116 North Main Street. Entering the store with its Napoleonic prints on the walls, customers faced a dilemma: should they turn left to the soda fountain, go right to the confectionery department, or walk to the rear for lunch and ice cream?

Working with the ladies’ literary society, the New Century Club, and the Civic Improvement Society, Hendersonian Lucy Barret persuaded city officials to establish a park on the newly graded riverfront between Third and Fourth Streets—land that had previously been an old dumping ground—and to allot $300 a year for improvement of all of the city-owned riverfront. On August 28, 1903, with music provided by the popular Huhlien’s Band, the park was dedicated.

Many local citizens took part in these festivities during the dedication at Barret Park, paying 15¢ for homemade ice cream and cake, with the proceeds earmarked for improvement of the park. In honor of Lucy Barret’s efforts, Henderson’s Judge Givens named the park “Lucy Barret Park,” although in later years the park is commonly referred to as “Sunset Park.”

John James Audubon’s 1810–1819 stay in Henderson came to an end with the failure of the saw and gristmill he and others built on...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• Table of Contents
• INTRODUCTION
• One - GETTING AROUND
• Two - LEISURE TIME
• Three - READIN’, ’RITIN’, AND ’RITHMATIC
• Four - WORKING HARD
• Five - PRAYING HARD
• Six - JUST VISITING
• Seven - FLOODING AND FREEZING
• Eight - STROLLING AROUND
• Nine - A MIXED BAG