Editing Hayesville, North Carolina (section)

=== Hayesville founded ===
The town was named Hayesville after 19th-century politician [[George W. Hayes (North Carolina)|George Hayes]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n152 153]}}</ref> 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]], and the county seat Hayesville, for Hayes.<ref name="Padgett">{{Cite book |last=Padgett |first=Guy |title=A History of Clay County, North Carolina |publisher=Clay County Bicentennial Committee |date=1976 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xp63GAAACAAJ}}</ref>{{rp|p.10}} Though Hayesville was an active town since 1861 and town limits were set in 1882, it was not incorporated until March 12, 1913.<ref name=Moorebook /> The first mayor was S.E. Hogsed.

[[Hayesville High School]] was founded in 1870 as Hicksville Academy.<ref name="book1">{{cite conference |last=Leek |first=Mark |year=2003 |title=History of Clay County Schools From 1850 until Present |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.clayschools.org%2Fccshistory%2Fccshistory.doc&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |conference=Doctoral project in the Issues of Rural Education class at Western Carolina University}}</ref> In the 1890s it was bought by Duke University and offered college courses.<ref name="Padgett" /> After the first wood-frame county courthouse in Hayesville was destroyed by arson in 1870, the brick [[Clay County Courthouse (North Carolina)|courthouse]] 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 {{convert|1|mi|km}} west of downtown.<ref name=Moorebook />

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.<ref name="Moorebook" /><ref name="Padgett" />  Truett Memorial, the town's first Baptist church, dates to 1850; its extant stone building opened in 1949.<ref name="Padgett" />
[[File:The first train from Hayesville NC arrives at Tusquittee station.jpg|thumb|The first train from Hayesville arrives at Tusquittee station in 1920]]
Hayesville's post office opened May 7, 1868.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.carolana.com/NC/Towns/Cherokee_POs_Sorted.htm |title=Cherokee County, NC Post Offices - 1839 to 1971 |last=Lewis |first=J.D. |work=Carolana.com }}</ref> The county's first official bank opened in Hayesville on May 18, 1910. In October 1920 the railroad came to Hayesville.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laney |first=Gideon Thomas |title=Train from Hayesville arriving at the Tusquittee station pulled by Climax locomotive #10 |url=https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/browse/search/train-from-hayesville-arriving-at-the-tusquittee-station-pulled-by-climax-locomotive-10 |access-date=February 27, 2024 |website=Southern Appalachian Digital Collections |publisher=[[Western Carolina University]] and University of North Carolina Asheville}}</ref> The Peavine line was completed to [[Andrews, North Carolina]], where it connected with the [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]]. The line hauled mainly lumber and was dismantled in 1951.<ref name="Moorebook" /><ref name="Padgett" />

Tiger's Store downtown is thought to be the oldest continuously operating business in Clay County. It was established in 1875 in [[Tusquittee, North Carolina|Tusquittee]] and moved to Hayesville around 1908.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Westergard |first=Linda |date=2025 |title=Tiger's Store turns 150 |work=Welcome to Clay County, NC, 2025 – Official Clay County Progress Information Guide |publisher=[[Community Newspapers Inc.]] |location=Hayesville, NC |pages=30–31}}</ref><ref name="Moorebook" /> 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 Flatt|Lester Flat]] and [[Earl Scruggs]], [[Carl Story]], [[Minnie Pearl]], and [[Hank Williams]] performed at Hayesville High School in the 1940s and 50s. In 1945, [[Paul Westmoreland]] debuted his song "[[Detour (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.<ref name="Moorebook" />

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83004710/1923-01-26/ed-1/seq-1/ |title=Parts of Business District of Hayesville Destroyed by Fire |work=The Cherokee Scout |location=Murphy, NC |date=January 26, 1922 |page=A1 }}</ref> The fire started at DeWease's Hardware Store and was reportedly set intentionally to collect insurance money.<ref name=Moorebook /> The town's current post office building was constructed in 1965.<ref name="Padgett" />