News

'Hello from 2018!' Here's county's time capsule letter

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 24, 2018

Henderson County officials and the Charters of Freedom organization placed a letter in a time capsule last Wednesday as part of the dedication ceremony for the new display at the Historic Courthouse plaza of the nation's founding documents. Here’s the letter placed in the time capsule, which is scheduled to be opened on Sept. 17, 2087, the 300^th anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution:

September 19, 2018

Dear Future Henderson County Residents,

Hello from 2018! Sixty-nine years ago, the letter you are reading was encapsulated in the time capsule of the Charters of Freedom monuments that proudly stand in the courtyard of the Henderson County Historic Courthouse. This time capsule was part of the dedication ceremony that took place to commemorate the documents known as the Charters of Freedom. Those documents include The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution and The Bill of Rights. These documents have been instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States of America, and have sustained this great nation for the past two hundred and thirty one years.
We, the undersigned to this letter, are the people who are working here in Henderson County’s Historic Courthouse to make a difference for all the citizens of the county. Whether you are a business owner, an apple farmer, a judge, a student or a doctor, we work to ensure that you have the rights guaranteed to you, on a local level, by the Charters of Freedom.
We work hard every day to bring quality public services to our citizens. Things that most of us take for granted like good jobs, smart use of land, personal and environmental health, safety and protection, these are the things that local government works to provide for its citizens. We hope that the future finds you hard at work also!

Life offers us many opportunities to reach out and help each other. Just today, Henderson County was able to send some of our finest first responders (emergency personnel) to assist our North Carolina family in the eastern part of our state. Hurricane Florence will be remembered by the history books in 2087, but it will be remembered by those of us who experienced it, and other challenges like it, as an opportunity to experience the best part of ourselves – our humanity. No matter what happens between now and the time you are reading this letter, know that the spirits of cooperation and kindness were alive and well in 2018!

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The letter was signed by Board of Commissioners Chair J. Michael Edney, Vice Chair Grady Hawkins and commissioners Charlie Messer, Thomas Thompson and William Lapsley, and staff members Terry Wilson, Clerk to the Board; Steve Wyatt, County Manager; Amy Brantley, Assistant County Manager; Kathryn Finotti, Public Information Officer; Megan Powell,  Budget Manager; Russell Burrell, County Attorney; Joanne Hinson, Administrative Assistant; Marcus Jones, County Engineer; and Christine Brown, Recycling Coordinator.