From Staff Reports

GERTON, N.C. — Plans are advancing to build a new gathering place on the site of the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Center (aka “the cornerstone of Gerton”),  according to its chairwoman,  the Hendersonville Times-News reported on April 15.

The building was demolished in spring 2025 after it was damaged by flooding in Tropical Storm Helene on Sept. 27, 2024.

To replace the center, the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Club submitted preliminary plans to construct a pavilion to Henderson County on April 7. 

Plans for the covered space include a meeting area with tables and warming kitchen, Karen Owensby, chairwoman of the committee tasked with rebuilding the center, told the HT-N on April 10.

Meanwhile, AI Overview on April 25 confirmed that a new “open-air pavilion” is planned to replace the demolished Community Center in Gerton.

Preliminary plans call for a new $300,000 structure, featuring a meeting area with tables and a warming kitchen, with construction potentially starting in summer 2026. 

Project details include the following:

• Structure details: The new building will be a covered pavilion, allowing it to comply with floodplain regulations that prevented rebuilding the original structure on the same spot.

• Timeline: Construction is expected to begin after an NCDOT bridge project on adjacent land is completed, with completion anticipated between late fall 2026 and spring 2027.

• Purpose: The pavilion will continue the tradition of hosting community gatherings, monthly dinners, and educational events. 

The project aims to restore a vital gathering place for the Gerton community. 

As for its history, Gerton is a historic, unincorporated community that was established in Henderson County around 1790.

Originally known as Pump, a typo in 1902 by the Post Office to “Rump” embarrassed the community to change its name.  

“Pump” is now known as “Gerton” — renamed after beloved schoolteacher Gertrude Freeman, who lived here.

“Because Gertrude was known for being shy and modest, the community used a contraction of her name — Gerton — for the new post office name, which was officially adopted on March 11, 1902,” AI Overview stated on April 26.