Haywood County
Portrait of a Mountain Community
Curtis W. Wood, Jr. (editor)

In 2006, the Haywood County Board of Commissioners commissioned the Historical Society of Haywood County to write and publish a county history as part of the county bicentennial celebration in conjunction with the 2008 200 year celebration. The Historical Society formed a Bicentennial History Steering Committee consisting of Bruce Briggs, Chair, Robert Busko, Joan Routh, Bette Hannah Sprecher and Ken Wilson.

Haywood County was created by the North Carolina legislature in 1808 and held its first governmental meeting in 1809. As part of this bicentennial effort, citizens were asked to donate originals or copies of historical information, photographs and artifacts to the historical society for research purposes, not only for the book but for the future. These materials were collected and scanned into digital storage at the Haywood County Public Library. Organizers first hoped to have the book available by December 2008.

The biggest challenge came in the form of research,” she wrote. “We were both thrilled and disappointed with the donations of information and photographs received — delighted with many contributions, into which citizens put great value, effort and thought. But we also wondered at other materials and information we knew had to be in the community that never arrived. As a result, the writers had to do much more research than first anticipated.

In addition to 15 chapters on areas of Haywood County history, the book will contain a series of appendices listing local leaders and office holders.