Henderson's landfill was once at the southern end of Atkinson Park
More than one city park initially started out as a dump or other marginal land.
When Gen. Samuel Hopkins was laying out the town he found a large ravine in the vicinity of Central Park – just to the south of the existing settlement at that time -- as well as ponds and other features that made that area undesirable for lot owners. That’s why he designated it as public land, according to his 1797 report to the Transylvania Co.
Central Park became a dumping ground and during the Civil War it was a horse lot for Union cavalry. It wasn’t until a city Park Board was created in 1887 that steps were taken toward making it the park it has become.
Audubon Mill Park also was a dumping ground for junk dealer Abe Cohen for nearly 10 years after the burning of John James Audubon’s mill in 1913.
In fact, there were dumps all along the riverfront at one time. People used to think the best way to get rid of garbage was to throw it downhill – preferably into water.
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Which brings us to Atkinson Park, one of the city’s oldest; many think it’s the crown jewel of the city’s park system. It seems strange that someone once thought it would be a good idea to put a city dump on such a beautiful piece of land.
In 1972, however, that 10-acre landfill – which was behind the current barbecue pits -- had reached capacity, Acting City Manager Ron Musgrave said in The Gleaner of Aug. 23, 1972. “We should have been out of there last week,” he told the Henderson City Commission.
The city had already bought 100 acres fronting on both Wolf Hills and Green River roads and had developed 40 acres of it into a landfill that would serve both city and county residents. It was scheduled to open Oct. 1. (State regulations had forced the county to close its three landfills at the first of 1972.)
Musgrave said he didn’t think the city could get a conditional permit for the new landfill until the old landfill had been closed and covered with soil.
The Gleaner of Aug. 29 reported the permit was in hand and that the new landfill would open that Friday, Sept. 1. The county was going to pay about one-third of the operational costs, based on population data analyzed by Musgrave. That would cost the county almost $1,517 per month.
Another story in the Aug. 29 issue reported the proposed contract had been submitted to Henderson Fiscal Court – and the magistrates were less than receptive. Magistrate Glenn Johnson pointed out residents who lived near the county’s borders would be less likely to use the landfill – which threw off Musgrave’s calculations.
The Gleaner of Sept. 7 reported the dump in Atkinson Park had been closed – but city officials were trying to figure out where to get the dirt needed to cover it. “We could use soil already available in the park,” Musgrave said. “We could haul dirt from the big hill near the present shelters and completely rework that portion of the park, eliminating problems in the Devil’s Backbone area.”
Devil’s Backbone was a dangerous hill which was relatively easy to slide down to the river – but very difficult to get back up to the park.
Taking dirt from inside the park to cover the dump did not sit well with the city Park Board, however. The Gleaner of Sept. 20 said the Park Board had vetoed the idea and sent Musgrave a letter outlining the board’s objections.
“What would be the cost of replacing the two open shelters, the grass and sixty trees? This area can be an asset to the park if properly maintained. The Park Board definitely feels removing the hill is not the answer to covering the landfill. In fact, it would create more problems.”
Meanwhile, Henderson Recreation Director Jerry Burton had presented a list of six recommendations for redeveloping Atkinson Park. He estimated the cost at $73,000 and said most of that could be covered by state or federal grants.
The projects Burton had in mind included a girls softball diamond and a Little League baseball diamond, both with bleachers, fences, dugouts, lights and backstops. PeeWee League football would see equivalent facilities. The Saddle Club would get a corral-type arena with lights and grandstand. A new dining shelter and additional restrooms were also planned.
Burton recently explained the city re-routed Sugar Creek through buried railroad tank cars, and most of the landfill cover was dirt taken from the original creek outlet. Devil’s Backbone was left alone, he said, although erosion has made it even steeper than it once was.
The area has since been fenced to keep people from getting into trouble there.
The Gleaner of Sept. 26, 1972, reported Henderson Fiscal Court had approved the new landfill contract on a 3-2 vote. Its approval was temporary so the county could gather better information about how much use of the landfill non-city residents got.
Magistrates James Buley and James Crowder voted against accepting the city’s offer.
Voting for the contract were Magistrates Johnson, Donald McCormick and A.G. Pritchett. Both Johnson and Pritchett said they thought the amount was still too high. “I may be ready to vote ‘no’ in another month,” Pritchett said.
County Judge John S. Hoffman said the county had stationed a man at the dump to take addresses and license plate numbers from vehicles using the new landfill. Only five of 118 vehicles dumping there on Sept. 19 were non-city residents, he said, and the Sept. 20 count again showed only five.
Fiscal court members agreed to gather data before making a final decision on landfill cooperation. The Henderson City Commission approved the contract two days later.
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As it turns out, it appears county officials were correct. The Gleaner of Nov. 22 reported Hoffman had presented his latest counts to the city commission – and it showed they diverged widely from the city’s estimates. The city commission, as a result, agreed to halve the county’s bill back to 15 percent of the total cost instead of nearly a third.
In fact, the 15 percent cost was backdated to Oct. 1.
Other problems also plagued the new landfill. The Nov. 15 Gleaner reported there were issues with dumping after hours, throwing garbage over the fence, and dumping along Wolf Hills and Green River roads.
To make matters worse, the city’s new compactor was destroyed by fire, according to the Nov. 28 Gleaner. It was fully insured, however. Its predecessor had burned the previous spring.
Meanwhile, both city and county governments were preparing to change how they collected solid waste. At that time, residents left their garbage cans at the back door – and city crews would not only collect them but would replace them once they’d been emptied. The city commission was thinking about requiring residents to bring their cans to the curb to save on manpower costs.
And fiscal court was quick to earmark its first check from federal revenue sharing. Hoffman had been saying for months that he wanted to spend the first money on a garbage collection system. The Gleaner of Dec. 19 reported that on Dec. 12 the county had received a check for $119,000. The county needed only about $3,000 more to buy a collection of green boxes.
Those large green garbage bins – strategically scattered around the county -- operated from early September 1973 to mid-March 2004.
100 YEARS AGO
The Henderson Boys Band, which had been playing a series of concerts across the county’s smaller communities, wound up its tour playing at Fred Vogel’s store in Weaverton before a large crowd greeted them for their grand finale at Audubon school, according to The Gleaner of Sept. 9, 1922.
Vogel treated them to soft drinks after their performance, while at Audubon the women of the Methodist and Baptist churches and the Presbyterian mission provided “a generous feast of ice cream and cake.”
75 YEARS AGO
The promoter of a bicycle race sponsored by the Henderson Fire Department left town with the trophies and cash generated by the event, according to The Gleaner of Sept. 14, 1947.
Ben W. Hodges, who gave Chicago as his home address, “has skipped town, disappeared, or something,” said Fire Chief Letcher Martin. The race was supposed to take place that day, but Hodges had not been seen for nearly a week.
“Hodges had accepted checks and cash from various Henderson merchants and individuals who had contributed to the event,” the story read. Proceeds were to be used to buy respirators for the fire stations. Bicycles had been contributed as the main prizes, but “the fire department can’t touch them because their ownership is in the name of Hodges.”
25 YEARS AGO
Henderson County’s solid waste plan for the following five years envisioned big changes for both city and county governments, according to The Gleaner of Sept. 14, 1997.
“For rural residents that could mean abolition of the green box system which has been their primary method of waste disposal for the past two decades.
“For city residents, it could mean adoption of curbside recycling as early as md-1999.”
Green boxes weren’t trashed until 2004. Curbside recycling for city residents became operational March 1, 2002; rural residents didn’t get it until Sept. 30, 2013.
Readers of The Gleaner can reach Frank Boyett at YesNews42@yahoo.com or on Twitter at @BoyettFrank.
This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Henderson's landfill was once at the southern end of Atkinson Park
