The other shoe dropped for the city of Henderson 50 years ago when the state ordered that it either immediately vacate its 1903 City Hall or spend a fortune to make it safe.
Problems with the large building at First and Elm streets had been looming for years. The Gleaner of Dec. 20, 1965, reported that an architect had been hired to design a new city hall. But then the proposal got caught up in a huge controversy when Mayor Maurice Galloway decided it ought to be built in the northeast corner of Central Park.
Public hearings were held but that proposal didn’t get public confirmation from the mayor for months. The Gleaner of Feb. 15, 1969, reported the Henderson City Commission had voted 4-1 behind closed doors to approve the park idea.