HAYWOOD COUNTY

Haywood was formed in 1808 from Buncombe. It was named in honor of John Haywood, Treasurer of North Carolina, 1787-1827. It is in the western section of the State and is bounded by the state of Tennessee and Madison, Buncombe, Transylvania, Jackson and Swain counties. The present land area is 553.66 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 59,036. Of that population, 56,405 were white, 624 were black or African American, 303 were American Indian, 215 were Asian, 15 were Pacific Islander and 844 were of a different race. Another 630 were reported to be of two or more races and 1,999 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The first court was ordered to be held at Mount Prospect, at which time the justices could decide on some other place for holding court until a courthouse could be erected. In 1809 the justices of the peace were authorized to appoint commissioners to erect the courthouse: "In the erection of the public buildings at Mount Prospect there was laid the foundation of the little city of Waynesville. In the record of the court of pleas and quarter sessions the name of Waynesville occurs first in 1811." Waynesville was confirmed as a town by legislative act in 1810. Waynesville is the county seat.

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Haywood County is located in the French Broad River Basin and is a part of the mountain region of the state.

References:

"American Factfinder." 2011. U. S. Census Bureau. Online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Accessed 3/3/2011.

Corbitt, David L. 2000. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943. Sixth printing. Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History.

Powell, William Stevens, and Michael R. Hill. 2010. The North Carolina gazetteer: a dictionary of Tar Heel places and their history. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Additional resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections (Government & Heritage Library and NC State Archives)

NC LIVE resources

NC Natural Heritage Program database

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)