Hayesville is a town in
Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman:
* Clay County, Alabama
* Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County)
* Clay County, Fl ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, United States. The population was 311 at the
2010 census. It is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Clay County.
History
Quanassee
This was long an area of indigenous settlement along the
Hiwassee River
The Hiwassee River is a
river in the states of
Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. It originates from a spring on the north slope of Rocky Mountain (Georgia), Rocky Mountain in Towns County, Georgia, Towns County in n ...
. An earthwork
platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity. It typically refers to a flat-topped mound, whose sides may be pyramidal.
In Eastern North America
The indigenous peoples of North America built substru ...
was built here, likely by people of the
South Appalachian Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a collection of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building la ...
about 1000 CE. It would have been the center of their village.
Later, the historic
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
developed a town known as ''Quanassee'' at this site. They built their
townhouse
A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...
on top of the mound, to provide a place for communal discussion and reaching consensus. It was one of the numerous "Valley Towns" located along the Hiwassee River in
Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...
. It was also along the
Trading Path
The Trading Path (a.k.a. Occaneechi Path, Unicoi Trail, Catawba Road etc.) was a corridor of roads and trails between the Tsenacommacah or Chesapeake Bay region (mainly the Petersburg, Virginia area) and the Cherokee, Catawba, and other Native-A ...
(also called the "
Unicoi Turnpike
The Unicoi Turnpike was a 150-mile (240km) trail through north Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee used by Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans before the footpath was converted into a t ...
"). That road led from Quanassee west to another town at present-day
Murphy, North Carolina
Murphy is a town in and the county seat of Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. It is situated at the confluence of the Hiwassee River, Hiwassee and Valley River, Valley rivers. It is the westernmost county seat in the state of North ...
, then over the
Unicoi Range
The Unicoi Mountains are a mountain range rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Province of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The Unicois are ...
at Unicoi Gap and down to the Cherokee town of
Great Tellico
Great Tellico was a Cherokee town at the site of present-day Tellico Plains, Tennessee, where the Tellico River emerges from the Appalachian Mountains. Great Tellico was one of the largest Cherokee towns in the region, and had a sister town nea ...
(today
Tellico Plains, Tennessee
Tellico Plains is a town in Monroe County, Tennessee, Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 859 at the 2000 census and 880 at the 2010 census. Tellico Plains is home to several communities that include Coker Creek, Belltown, ...
).
Quanassee had several hundred inhabitants by 1550. In 1716,
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
officials met with Cherokee leaders in Quanassee to obtain the Cherokee's alliance in the
Yamassee War. The next year South Carolina built a trading site in Quanassee to gain Cherokee commodities like deerskins in exchange for manufactured English goods. A Coosa (Creek) war party "cut off" Quanassee in 1725, demolishing the village and enslaving or killing most of its residents. The town was briefly reestablished before the American Revolution;
Rutherford expedition forces camped there in 1776. In the 1820s,
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
missionaries visited Quanassee to preach to families living there.
Fort Hembree
In October 1837, Tennessee militia established
Fort Hembree
Tennessee militia established Fort Hembree southwest of the present town of Hayesville, North Carolina, in October 1837 to prepare for deporting local Cherokee Native Americans during the Trail of Tears. The fort was under the command of General ...
near Hayesville to prepare for deporting the Cherokee. Approximately 1,000 Cherokee people were held prisoner at the fort and removed from the area. The military abandoned Fort Hembree in June 1838, though it was reactivated in 1860 to train soldiers for the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.
After the Cherokee were forced to cede their land, European Americans settled in this rural area and took over what is now known as the
Spikebuck Town Mound and Village Site. They cultivated much of the village site, disturbing the topsoil layers. Some excavations were conducted in the 1960s and 1970s.
The town mound and village site was listed in 1982 on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
as an archeological site.
Clay County acquired the mound site in 2000 and protects it; the Archeological Conservancy acquired the town/village site and farmsteads in 2011.
Hayesville founded
The town was named Hayesville after 19th-century politician
George Hayes. When running for representative from Cherokee County in the fall election of 1860, he learned that residents in the southeast end wanted to separate from Cherokee County and get their own county seat, because of the difficulty of traveling to the distant location. With the promise to introduce legislation to this effect, Hayes won a seat in the legislature. In February 1861 the legislation to organize a new county was introduced and passed by the North Carolina General Assembly. The county was named in honor of Kentucky statesman
Henry Clay
Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...
, and the county seat Hayesville, for Hayes.
Though Hayesville was an active town since 1861 and town limits were set in 1882, it was not incorporated until March 12, 1913.
The first mayor was S.E. Hogsed.
Hayesville High School was founded in 1870 as Hicksville Academy.
In the 1890s it was bought by Duke University and offered college courses.
After the first wood-frame county courthouse in Hayesville was destroyed by arson in 1870, the brick
courthouse
A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...
currently standing on the town square was constructed in 1888. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In mid-2007, courthouse operations moved to a new justice center built west of downtown.
Hayesville's Methodist and Presbyterian churches were the earliest churches in Clay County; both congregations date to 1838. Their present buildings opened in 1943 and 1960 respectively.
Truett Memorial, the town's first Baptist church, dates to 1850; its extant stone building opened in 1949.

Hayesville's post office opened May 7, 1868. The county's first official bank opened in Hayesville on May 18, 1910. In October 1920 the railroad came to Hayesville. The Peavine line was completed to
Andrews, North Carolina
Andrews is a town in Cherokee County, North Carolina, Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,667 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Valley River was inhab ...
, where it connected with the
Southern Railway. The line hauled mainly lumber and was dismantled in 1951.
Tiger's Store downtown is thought to be the oldest continuously operating business in Clay County. It was established in 1875 in
Tusquittee and moved to Hayesville around 1908.
Hotels began appearing in Hayesville in the 1920s. Clay County had a silent film theater in the 1920s. Later, the Hayesville Theater operated from the 1940s to the 1960s and live music was performed after film showings. Traveling music groups including
Lester Flat and
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...
,
Carl Story,
Minnie Pearl
Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American comedian and country singer who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) ...
, and
Hank Williams
Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...
performed at Hayesville High School in the 1940s and 50s. In 1945,
Paul Westmoreland
Paul "Okie Paul" Westmoreland (September 19, 1916 – June 21, 2005) was an American musician, songwriter, and disc jockey in Sacramento, California.
Born in Tyler Texas, he moved to California during the Okie migration.Pew, "Route 66": "From th ...
debuted his song "
Detour (There's a Muddy Road Ahead)" in Hayesville. He wrote the song while on his way to Murphy. As of 2024, there are no movie theaters in Clay County.
On January 22, 1922, a midnight fire destroyed nearly all of downtown Hayesville, including several stores, the highway commission office and records, and the U.S. Post Office. The fire started at DeWease's Hardware Store and was reportedly set intentionally to collect insurance money.
The town's current post office building was constructed in 1965.
Late 20th century to present
Clay County is featuring Cherokee heritage sites as part of its community redevelopment to emphasize its unique character. In addition to the Spikebuck Town Mound, it supports other Cherokee resources in Hayesville: the Quanassee Path, which highlights five Cherokee features on a walking path around Hayesville; the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit, with reconstructions of traditional summer and winter houses and a corn crib; and the Cherokee Botanical Sanctuary. In addition the CCCRA sponsors an annual Cherokee Heritage Festival.
Clay County's public library started in a small room on the second floor of a building on Hayesville's town square.
At some point it moved to a small room in the county courthouse. In 1940 it became part of the
Nantahala Regional Library
Nantahala Regional Library is the oldest regional library in North Carolina and one of the first regional libraries formed in the United States. Its headquarters is in Murphy, North Carolina. The library has branches in Cherokee, Clay, and Grah ...
system and hired its first librarian, Ellen Scroggs, in 1943.
A new $80,000 library building opened on Sanderson St. downtown on June 25, 1967.
It was named in honor of local-born Dr. Fred A. Moss, who contributed $10,000 towards its construction and donated books.
Today Moss Memorial Library is the only public library in Clay County.
In the early 1940s
Chatuge Dam
Chatuge Dam is a flood control and hydroelectric dam on the Hiwassee River in Clay County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The dam is the uppermost of three dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built ...
was constructed near Hayesville by the
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...
, creating
Chatuge Lake
Lake Chatuge is a man-made reservoir in Towns County, Georgia, and Clay County, North Carolina. It was formed by the Tennessee Valley Authority's construction of Chatuge Dam (then the highest earthen dam in the world) in 1942. The lake is rela ...
. It was the tallest earthen dam in the world until the
Aswan Dam
The Aswan Dam, or Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. When it was completed, it was the tallest earthen dam in the world, surpassing the Chatuge D ...
was built in
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
in 1964.
In 2017, the dam was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Hayesville's annual Festival on the Square began in 1980. The town's annual Christmas parade began in 1987. Despite being a small town, in the 1980s Hayesville gained the only community theatre in far-west North Carolina. The Peacock Playhouse was constructed on Church Street by Lillith Lidseen. Born in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
in 1904, Lidseen moved with her parents to
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and studied fine arts at
Wellesley College
Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...
. After her brother Edwin established a pipe manufacturing business in
Warne, she moved nearby.
Nonprofit volunteer organization the Licklog Players (named after the local Licklog Creek) began performing shows at
Hayesville High School's auditorium in 1978 and Lidseen was asked to direct ''
Brigadoon
''Brigadoon'' is a musical with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and score by Frederick Loewe. The plot features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every 100 years; on ...
''. Due to the community's enthusiastic response, she decided that the area needed a professional theatre venue and built a three-story, 250-seat playhouse near downtown. Plans were drawn up in March 1981 and construction began in 1983. The first show performed at the theatre was ''
The Curious Savage
''The Curious Savage'', written by John Patrick, is a comedic play about Ethel P. Savage, an elderly woman whose husband recently died and left her approximately ten million dollars. Contrasting the kindness and loyalty of psychiatric patients ...
'' by the Licklog Players on June 6, 1986. Lidseen died in January 1987 before she was able to see a production in her theatre. The Lilith Lidseen Performing Arts Association was formed in 2007. It raised $800,000 to buy the building in 2009 and renovate it. After performing more than 100 plays at the venue, the Licklog Players moved to a strip mall and shut down after their 2014 season. Today the
Peacock Performing Arts Center offers dozens of events per year, ranging from comedies to concerts.
In 2003 the
US 64
U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,281 miles (3,672 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route ...
bypass through Hayesville was expanded into a four-lane highway.
[ ]NC 69
North Carolina Highway 69 (NC 69) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It runs north–south from the Georgia state line to Hayesville, west of Chatuge Lake.
Route description
NC 69 runs from th ...
from Hayesville to Georgia was widened to four lanes in 2024. The Clay County Recreation Center was built in 2007 in Hayesville and it was expanded in 2013. In 2017, ''Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
'' named Hayesville one of the top ten nicest places in America.
Mayoral history
# S.E. Hogsed (1913)
# Wm. H. Harrison (1913–1914)
# W.T. Hunt Sr. (1915)
# G.H. Haigler (1915–1917)
# T.C. Scroggs (1919)
# J.B. Gray (1920–1922)
# O.L. Anderson (1923)
# Neal Haigler (1924)
# R.E. Crawford (1925)
# W. J. Winchester (1929)
# James Penalnd (1936)
# W.L. Matheson (1937)
# T.C. Gray (1938–1946)
# Fred D. Pass (1947–1948)
# Glenn Byers (1948–1951)
# H.M. Crawford (1953)
# Christine Prater (1955)
# James H. Walker (1957–1961)
# Donald S. Weaver (1962–1966)
# M. Cloe Moore (1967–1969)
# C.A. Carroll (1970–1972)
# Paul "Bud" Vaught Jr. (1973–1998)
# Gwen Weaver (1999–2003)
# Harrell Moore (2004–2012)
# Harry Baughn (2013–2021)
# Joe Slaton (2021–present)
Education
The local public school system is run by Clay County Schools, which operates four separate schools located on a central campus in Hayesville:
* Hayesville High School
*Hayesville Middle School
*Hayesville Elementary School
*Hayesville Primary School
The schools serve about 1,200 students total.
Higher education is offered nearby at Tri-County Community College
Tri-County Community College is a Public college, public community college in Murphy, North Carolina. It was founded in 1964 to serve Cherokee County, North Carolina, Cherokee, Clay County, North Carolina, Clay, and Graham County, North Carolina ...
,. Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a Private college, private Methodist-affiliated Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Young Harris, Georgia, United States.
History
Origins
The school was founded in 1886 by Artemas Le ...
, and Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.
The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU ...
.
The oldest and largest folk school in the United States, the John C. Campbell Folk School, is located in Brasstown, an unincorporated community that exists partly in Cherokee County and partly in Clay County. The school focuses on creative folk arts for all ages and offers community dance and concert entertainment.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.
The Hiwassee River
The Hiwassee River is a
river in the states of
Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. It originates from a spring on the north slope of Rocky Mountain (Georgia), Rocky Mountain in Towns County, Georgia, Towns County in n ...
flows along the outskirts of Hayesville.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Hayesville has a humid subtropical climate, with cool winters and hot summers.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 461 people, 161 households, and 83 families residing in the town.
2010 census
At the census of 2010, there were 311 people, 147 households, and 84 families residing in the town. The population density was 666.6 people per square mile. There were 171 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.33% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.34% African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.
There were 147 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.9% were non-families. 42.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,000, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $16,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,281. About 7.7% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.2% of those 65 or over.
Local cities
Nearby communities
This diagram has a radius of from Hayesville.
Notable people
* Leon P. Crawford – Republican mayor of Clemson, South Carolina from 1946 to 1965
* Bob Dalsemer
Bob Dalsemer (born 1943) is a square and contra dance writer and caller. He has called dances for more than 50 years and in more than 33 states, plus internationally in Canada, the Czech Republic, Britain, Belgium, Denmark and Russia. He began w ...
– Internationally known square
In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
and contra
Contra may refer to:
Places
* Contra, Virginia
* Contra Costa Canal, an aqueduct in the U.S. state of California
* Contra Costa County, California
* Tenero-Contra, a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerla ...
dance writer and caller
* Mark Linkous
Frederick Mark Linkous (September 9, 1962 – March 6, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as leader of Sparklehorse. He was also known for his collaborations with such artists as Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Daniel J ...
– musician of the band Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band from Richmond, Virginia, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous. It was active from 1995 until Linkous's 2010 death. Before forming Sparklehorse, Linkous fronted local bands Johnson Fa ...
, lived in Hayesville for a few years and operated a recording studio in the area
* George Washington Truett
George Washington Truett, also known as George W. Truett (May 6, 1867 – July 7, 1944), was an American clergyman who was the pastor of the First Baptist Church (Dallas), First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, from 1897 until 1944, and the ...
– Southern Baptist
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...
clergyman and 47-year pastor for the First Baptist Church of Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
References
Further reading
* Duncan, Barbara R. and Riggs, Brett H. ''Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook''. University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill (2003).
*Moore, Carl S. ''Clay County Then and Now: A Written and Pictorial History''. Genealogy Publishing Service: Franklin, NC (2007).
*Padgett, Guy. ''A History of Clay County, North Carolina''. Clay County Bicentennial Committee (1976). ASIN: B0006WPT26
External links
*
{{authority control
Towns in Clay County, North Carolina
Towns in North Carolina
County seats in North Carolina
Populated places on the Hiwassee River