History of Haywood County area (Clyde, Canton, Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Lake Junaluska)

• Has the highest average elevation of any county in the east
  
• Rivers and springs are its own-all water in Haywood County originates here
  
• Is a Civil War site-Kirk’s Raid occurred here in 1865

Among the earliest visitors to the area, now known as Haywood County, were militia who came through the unsettled area in May 1776, near the close of the American Revolution. Cold Mountain (of movie fame) is located here.  Impressed with the rugged beauty of the area, many of the soldiers returned with their families to settle the area, after the colonies won their independence.  Today, descendants of these and other early settlers are found throughout the area, which is located in close proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.