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A Brief History of Henderson Settlement

Beginning: C. 1925

In February 1925, Rev. Hiram Frakes observed a murder hearing in the county courtroom presided over by one of the members of his church. The judge was faced with yet another case from a notorious section of the county. The Laurel Fork Valley abided by its own kind of law of fear and violence. When witnesses refused once more to place the blame for certain killings, the judge could take no more. In frustration, he told the residents to "go back and kill yourselves off."

Moved by this incident, the Pineville Methodist pastor decided to shift his ministry toward these valley people. There were elementary schools of variable quality scattered around, but the nearest high school was 30 miles away. With no land or money, Frakes made the trek and shared his dream to provide a school for all children with whoever would listen. Incredibly, the people with a proud tradition of land ownership affirmed that dream. Uncle Scott Partin gave 16 acres, Bill Henderson donated all 68 acres of his land, and several others contributed portions of their holdings.

Frakes went to his bishop, Theodore Henderson, laying the groundwork for financial support. Bertha Reil, a deaconess and graduate of the Chicago Training School, heard about Frakes and came to be the first teacher of the school. The cabin where she stayed remains a Settlement landmark.

Frakes Builds an Institution: 1925-1950

Following the birth of the Henderson Settlement School, a school building named Partin Hall was constructed in 1927. Shortly afterward, dormitories were added for orphans and students who lived too far away to walk. Dormitory students would do laundry, milk cows, and garden, before and after school and throughout the summer to help pay for their education as well as keep the Settlement going.

The community bonded together to build up Henderson Settlement, counteracting the area's reputation for moonshining and feuding. A church was established along with the school. In the 1930s, a farm (including wheat, corn, potatoes, apples, cattle, and goats), gristmill, and sawmill were also begun with Rev. Frakes's leadership. A nurse and dentist came to the Settlement. By the 1940s, a new church building, Kynett Memorial, teemed with youth. The Rural Electric Authority brought electricity, and the Works Progress Administration maintained the dirt and gravel road and built a swimming pool.

The progress was made possible by the support of the Methodist Board of Missions and churches around the country through salary support for the staff and scholarships for the children. A special appeal before Christmas brought clothes and toys, beginning the Settlement's Opportunity Store and toy distribution. Frakes raised this support by traveling to churches with the Sunbonnet Girls, a quartet of singers from the school. They even visited President Hoover at the White House in 1932. One of these singers was Mabel Henderson, daughter of the primary land donor. After graduating from the school, she went to Berea College fulfilling her father's dream, and returned to Henderson Settlement as a teacher. In fact, five of Henderson's children graduated from the school bearing his name.

Mabel's story was not altogether unusual. At the start of the 1938-39 school year, five of the seven Settlement teachers were alumni, and of the 25 total alumni, 18 had entered college. In 1950, Frakes stepped down as Superintendent. On the 25th anniversary of Henderson Settlement, 93 graduates could be counted. Total enrollment had increased to over 300.

The "Tex" Evans Era: 1953-1966

Following World War II, enrollment at Henderson Settlement mushroomed to about 500 students. Graduating classes reached double digits. The late 1950s saw telephone service come to Henderson Settlement and the completion of an 18-mile blacktop road to Pineville. The school was incorporated into the public school system with the mission leasing the building to the county. Also, the state licensed Henderson Settlement for what it had been doing all along, being a residential childcare center.

The next major era of Henderson Settlement was under the leadership of "Tex" Evans, Superintendent from 1953-1966. Evans brought financial stability and physical repairs to the facilities. The agricultural program was revitalized and tree management practices were begun. Rev. Carrie Ovall began a craft store in 1955 for local students and adults to market their skills. Around that time, a work camp program with youth and adults coming for part of a summer to help with projects on the Settlement grounds took off. Evans later used his experience at Henderson Settlement to begin the Appalachia Service Project.

The Emphasis Shifts: 1967-1990

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Henderson Settlement became a partner with the federal government in the war on poverty. The foot soldier of this war, the social worker, became a part of the Henderson Settlement staff. The Settlement was an incubator and participant in community groups which spawned the Laurel Fork Health Clinic and the Frakes Volunteer Fire Department, now entirely community-run institutions. This model has been repeated in the 1990s in an effort to secure public water. New programs included a library, the raising of feeder pigs, and early childhood development.

With improved roads allowing buses to run, the county finally consolidated its school system. A new elementary school was built next door on Settlement donated land and opened in 1971. The high school closed in 1976, with kids going to the new Bell County High School 20 miles away. An era at Henderson Settlement had ended.

In the 1970s, the focus on childcare expanded from merely boarding students to include wards of the state and troubled youth from outside the community. The childcare center continued after the Henderson Settlement school closed. A program of recreation during the summer for childcare and community children began. With its own gymnasium and swimming pool, the Settlement was well equipped.

Childcare carried a high price, however. The Settlement struggled to keep the houses full and qualified staff at the same time. Trouble caused by some of the kids cost community good will. Financial deficits ended the program in 1990. The crisis in mission identity, which began with the school closing, had come to a head.

Growing Together: 1980s - present

The building vacated by the high school was made into a community center. Fellowship Lunch, outreach services, and tutoring/adult education saw their formal beginnings. The closing of residential childcare freed resources to expand community development programs and begin new ones. The work camp program took on home improvement. A senior citizens center opened, providing transportation, access to health services, and a social outlet. Recycling of aluminum cans began with the hopes of reducing the area's litter problem. Youth ministry grew to offer activities year-round. A former childcare home was remodeled into a day care as a service to working families. Another house opened as an emergency shelter for those who find themselves homeless.

The Settlement continues to seek ways to counteract the impoverishing factors of a rural, isolated community and to be a place where Christians are also ministered to through the opportunity to serve.