Editing Hendersonville, Tennessee (section)

==History==
In 1784 [[Daniel Smith (surveyor)|Daniel Smith]] received a land grant from the state of [[North Carolina]] in payment for surveying Middle Tennessee. (North Carolina at the time claimed its boundaries extended to this territory across the Appalachian Mountains.) He began work on his house later known as [[Rock Castle (Hendersonville, Tennessee)|Rock Castle]], but it was not completed until 1796. Due to his surveying trips, he frequently was gone on long journeys, and his wife supervised much of the construction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicrockcastle.com/meetthefamily.html |title=Family History of General Daniel Smith|access-date=May 16, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424211243/http://www.historicrockcastle.com/meetthefamily.html|archive-date=April 24, 2012}}</ref>

In 1790, William Henderson settled in [[Sumner County, Tennessee|Sumner County]] and later became the namesake of the town. It was a trading center for the county, which was devoted to the production of tobacco and hemp as commodity crops, and blood livestock: both horses and cattle. During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], [[Monthaven]] was used by Union troops as a field hospital, as they occupied Middle Tennessee from 1862 to 1870. In the late 20th century, this historic home was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Even before the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] of January 1863, refugee slaves with their families found their way to Union lines in the state in search of freedom. The Army established a contraband camp near Hendersonville, to offer shelter to the freedmen, help them with supplies and food, and sign them up to work for wages for the Army, often building defenses. Missionary societies helped teach both adults and children among the slaves.{{cn|date=May 2024}}

The small city was not incorporated until 1969, as the area continued to be rural and devoted to agriculture and related activities. It then had roughly 250 residents and was led by L.H. "Dink" Newman. Since the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it has grown to become the largest city in the county.<ref name="hvilletn.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.hvilletn.org/|title=City of Hendersonville - Home|website=www.hvilletn.org|access-date=May 3, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308183703/http://www.hvilletn.org/|archive-date=March 8, 2018}}</ref>

With the completion of the [[Old Hickory Lock and Dam|Old Hickory Dam]]  and an associated lake in 1954, Hendersonville started to develop more rapidly. The lake attracted sportsmen and people seeking recreation; some became residents or acquired second homes here. Since the late 20th century, it has become the most-populous city of Sumner County, and one of the most populous suburbs of Nashville, along with [[Franklin, Tennessee|Franklin]] and [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]].<ref name="hvilletn.org"/>

On [[Tornado outbreak of December 9–10, 2023|December 9, 2023]], a tornado hit the city and caused major damage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Latham |first=Angele |date=December 9, 2023 |title=Damage from tornadoes, severe weather reported in Middle Tennessee |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2023/12/09/tennessee-tornado-nashville-clarksville-hendersonville-springfield-damage-report/71866535007/ |access-date=December 10, 2023 |website=[[The Tennessean]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The tornado killed 3 people in [[Madison, Tennessee]], and left countless others injured. The [[National Weather Service]] in Nashville issued a [[Tornado emergency|Tornado Emergency]] for Hendersonville and [[Gallatin, Tennessee]] only a few minutes before the tornado struck.