Editing Haywood County, North Carolina (section)

==History==
The earliest inhabitants of the area eventually comprising Haywood County were [[Cherokee]] Native Americans. Their local population was severely impacted by a [[smallpox]] outbreak in 1715.<ref name= vocci/> In July 1776, during the early stages of the [[American Revolutionary War]], Cherokee warriors began attacking white settlements in western North Carolina. In response, a militia led by General [[Griffith Rutherford]] led an expedition through the region and destroyed dozens of Cherokee villages.{{sfn|Beadle|Yurko|2010|p=7}} White settlement increased after the war, with most of the settlers being of English, Scotch-Irish, German, and Dutch descent.<ref name= vocci>{{cite web| url = https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/haywood| title = Haywood County| last = Vocci| first = Robert Blair| date = 2006| website = NCPedia| publisher = North Carolina Government & Heritage Library| access-date = May 27, 2023}}</ref> The county was formed in 1808 from the western part of [[Buncombe County, North Carolina|Buncombe County]]. It was named for [[John Haywood (politician)|John Haywood]], who served as the [[North Carolina State Treasurer]] from 1787 to 1827.{{sfn|Corbitt|2000|p=117}} The county seat was designated at Mount Pleasant, which was renamed [[Waynesville, North Carolina|Waynesville]] in 1811.{{sfn|Corbitt|2000|pp=117–118}} The first county courthouse was completed the following year.{{sfn|Beadle|Yurko|2010|p=14}} In 1828, a part of Haywood County was split off and made [[Macon County, North Carolina|Macon County]].{{sfn|Corbitt|2000|p=118}} In 1851, parts of Haywood and Macon counties were combined to form [[Jackson County, North Carolina|Jackson County]].{{sfn|Corbitt|2000|p=119}}

The last shot of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] east of the Mississippi was fired in [[Waynesville, North Carolina|Waynesville]] on May 9, 1865, when elements of the Thomas Legion ([[Confederate States Army|Confederate]]) skirmished with the 2nd North Carolina Mounted Infantry ([[Union Army|Union]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title="Last Shot" Confederate Memorial |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/monument/last-shot-confederate |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=www.ncpedia.org |publisher=[[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|UNC Libraries]] |publication-date=July 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Kathy N. |date=May 2, 2022 |title=State's last Civil War surrender like no other |url=https://www.themountaineer.com/news/state-s-last-civil-war-surrender-like-no-other/article_57a1ddce-c71d-11ec-806a-030c7e80dbb0.html |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=The Mountaineer |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fisher |first1=Bernard |last2=Morfe |first2=Don |date=June 16, 2016 |orig-date=July 19, 2014 |title=Waynesville Engagement - Among the Last to Die |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=75490 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=www.hmdb.org |language=en}}</ref> In the 1880s, the Western North Carolina Railroad extended lines through the county, creating new economic industries centered on logging and tourism.<ref name= vocci/>