Join author and historian Terry Ruscin as he reveals Henderson County's forgotten yet colorful history complete with its own cast of characters and historic landmarks. Who composed a blockbuster opera a few miles from downtown Hendersonville? Who were the record-setting McCrary twins, and why were they famous? These questions and many more are answered in this exciting volume of obscured history. From James Brown's 1950s performance on Hendersonville's Main Street to the rumors of illegal distilling in Cathead, these are the tales of surreptitious cascades, log homes and unattended cemeteries. Delve into the communities of Black Bottom, Delmont and Peacock Town. Discover what lurks within the derelict buildings of the county's backcountry roads.

From the county of Buncombe, Henderson County was formed in 1838. Following a three-year dispute concerning the placement of a county seat, the town of Hendersonville was established in 1841. Situated in the eastern Blue Ridge escarpment of the Southern Appalachian range in Western North Carolina, Henderson County, known as "Land of the Sky," supports a diverse geography, climate, and populace. From its inception, the county has been a vibrant melting pot of cultures, talents, and disciplines. Denizens of the county have included all from Revolutionary War patriots, renowned architects, and tycoons to moonshiners, granny doctors, inventors, and even a famous hog. Henderson County hosts the annual North Carolina Apple Festival and boasts top-producing orchards, floriculture, wineries and breweries, world-class golf courses, and master-planned communities amid accessible natural resources and four seasons of color and clime. The county's spectrum of historic architecture has ranged from log dwellings to Victorian, Romanesque, Neoclassical, and Greek Revival motifs.

Henderson County is known for its country inns, houses of worship and picturesque landscapes. Behind all the beautiful scenery is a colorful history that runs deeper than any creek or holler. Revel in the family and farming heritage of Edneyville, Clear Creek, Green River Township, Hoopers Creek and Fruitland. Relive the resort era when the region boomed as a tourist destination. Learn how the wee population center of Goodluck came by its name, and inhale the sweet fragrance of apple blossoms that bloom every springtime. Drawing from interviews, documents and a gallery of both contemporary and time-honored photography, author and researcher Terry Ruscin renders his adopted Henderson County in vivid detail.