JUNE
1968
On June 11, 1968, the City of Hendersonville was born, sort of.
Learning from the failed attempt to form a city in 1964, Dink Newman fostered the idea to form a city government in 1968. Instead of the wide borders of 1964, Newman scaled back the size of the proposed city to include only Shivel Drive and a few small roads nearby, encompassing 262 people.
Newman—the first graduate of Hendersonville High School, a World War II veteran, and a member of the First Methodist Church—campaigned by meeting with most residents, many known to him since childhood. Years later he would remember that he knew everybody on a first name basis and the names of most their pets.
Newman’s message was that the neighborhood in southwestern Sumner County needed to take control of its destiny—especially planning and zoning—from the Sumner County Government and the Hendersonville Utility District. Financial support for the city, he said, would come from current sales tax dollars going to the county.
By a vote of 53-26 the referendum passed, creating Tennessee’s smallest city.
Claiming that Tennessee law did not allow such a small municipality, Bill Cole filed suit to invalidate the referendum. Cole, the general manager of the Hendersonville Utility District, predicted that the city would annex taking responsibilities from HUD. He said that HUD was providing everything that residents wanted—water, sewer, and zoning.
While Cole’s suit worked its way through courts, residents went to the polls to elect three city commissioners. Louis Oliver Sr. (50 votes) and William “Ed” Sisco (46 votes) were elected to four-year terms. Newman won a two-year term by garnering 40 votes over Norman Roberts’ 31.
Oliver, Sisco, and Newman were prevented from taking office by the law suit. It delayed them for more than a year. Cole initially won a decision, which was appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court. There the court ruled, 3-2, that Tennessee law did not set a minimum size for a city. The following day Oliver, Sisco and Newman swore their oaths of office.
1973
Hendersonville’s first mayor, Dink Newman, resigned on June 28, 1973.
Newman had been the primary force in city government. In 1968 he campaigned for residents to vote in favor of a referendum. He won a seat on the three-person city commission. And his fellow commissioners elected him to be the city’s first mayor. As the elected head of the city, Newman was the target for residents unhappy with anything related to the city. Several of those voters managed to get a referendum on the ballot to throw out Newman and the other commissioners. The vote was set for August.
Taking the threat seriously, Newman stepped down. During a city commission meeting he said, “I understand that my position as mayor has been a focal point for some of the people in opposition to the planned progress of the community.” Vice-mayor Ed Sisco then assumed the mayor’s role. Newman continued as a city commissioner.
1980
During the first week of June 1980, Paul Decker became principal of Hendersonville High School. He succeeded William Clevanger, who had been principal at HHS since 1959. Decker had been assistant principal at the school, but left to serve as Wessington Place (now Whitten) Elementary’s first principal when it opened in 1974.
1982
Feeling that country music fans wanted to see how stars lived, Conway Twitty purchased nine acres along Gallatin Road in 1978 to build his home, homes for his children, an office, and a museum.
When he announced the transaction, he supported plans for a larger complex that would be called Music Village.
Construction on Twitty City started in April 1981 soon to be followed by revised plans for a $50 million complex for other stars to locate businesses, museums, and homes.
Twitty opened Twitty City on June 4, 1982, in time to welcome guests in town for Fan Fare.
1982
On June 18, 1982, the Bank of Hendersonville was acquired by Volunteer State Bank.
Started in 1906, the Bank of Hendersonville was the only bank in Hendersonville for 63 years. Its life reflected and guided most of the changes in the community while residents called it simply “The Bank”.
The original building burned in 1942 to be replaced with a structure that still stands at Walton Ferry Road and Gallatin Road, the center of activity for Hendersonville’s growth spurt from 1970-1990. Bank leaders added a branch in 1970 where Rockland Road meets Gallatin Road. That building still stands as well.
When Volunteer State Bank acquired the Bank of Hendersonville, Wick Comer was the president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the bank’s board. Other members of the board were Ed Batey, Harlan Comer, H.O. Davis, John Freed, Marvin Hayes, Leon Moore, Haggard Newman, Carl. H. Oldham, and R.N. Parrish Jr.
However, customers were more likely to personify the bank as Ladye Beatrice Dotson. She started there in 1944 and continued until September 1994. Toward the end of Dotson’s 50-years career, Ken Cox joined Volunteer State Bank in 1983, retired in 1996, but worked for several more years.
For much of its life, the Bank of Hendersonville was the lifeblood of the community. Nashville lenders were reluctant to provide loans in the farming community. Hendersonville residents trusted it with their household savings through times when larger banks were failing and deposits were uninsured.
When the fire of 1942 hit, the bank’s cashier, T.B. Ellis, placed cash and documents in the bank’s fireproof safe. Minutes later flames burned down the building and half the nearby businesses.
1973
Hendersonville’s first mayor, Dink Newman, resigned on June 28, 1973.
Newman had been the primary force in city government. In 1968 he campaigned for residents to vote in favor of a referendum. He won a seat on the three-person city commission. And his fellow commissioners elected him to be the city’s first mayor. As the elected head of the city, Newman was the target for residents unhappy with anything related to the city. Several of those voters managed to get a referendum on the ballot to throw out Newman and the other commissioners. The vote was set for August.
Taking the threat seriously, Newman stepped down. During a city commission meeting he said, “I understand that my position as mayor has been a focal point for some of the people in opposition to the planned progress of the community.” Vice-mayor Ed Sisco then assumed the mayor’s role. Newman continued as a city commissioner.