The Museum of Haywood County History

The Museum of Haywood County History Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Museum of Haywood County History, Nonprofit Organization, 178 Morgan Street, Clyde, NC.

It's less than a month till "Willie Morgan: Art Through Time and Place" opens at the Museum of Haywood County History at...
06/18/2026

It's less than a month till "Willie Morgan: Art Through Time and Place" opens at the Museum of Haywood County History at the Shook Smathers House in Clyde. We have assembled more than 40 of Willie's works, but we still have room and time to add more.

The most recent loan to the exhibition is this painting of the old Sherman Rogers homeplace. Located in Stamey Cove near Canton, we have not been able to locate the house. Please let us know if it is still standing, and if so, where we can find it.

After Willie retired from the Haywood County Hospital, she began taking art classes at what was then Haywood Technical Institute (now HCC). For the next 30 years Willie and her husband Levi traveled around Haywood County looking for interesting places for her to paint. By doing so she left a great record of Haywood County in the last decades of the 20th century.

"Willie Morgan: Art Through Time and Space" opens July 11 and will be on view through October. The exhibition in included in museum admission, which is $10 with $2 discount for military and vets, seniors, and members of the Shook and Smathers families. Children 10 and under are free. We are open Fridays and Saturdays 11 through 3, but we can accommodate appointments almost any time.

The Shook-Smathers House in Clyde is the oldest frame house in Haywood County and it houses the Museum of Haywood County...
06/12/2026

The Shook-Smathers House in Clyde is the oldest frame house in Haywood County and it houses the Museum of Haywood County History. A really common occurrence is when long-time local people tell us how they have passed by the house for years, but have never been inside. Don't let that person be you! Come visit your museum and learn about Haywood County history. Share your stories of Haywood County and engage in lively history talk with our knowledgeable docents!

Today is your chance. Your museum is open every Friday and Saturday from 11 to 3. If those times don't work for you, give the museum a call and we'll happily make an appointment for you. 828-564-1044.

The Museum of Haywood County History needs the support of every Haywood County citizen. Admission is $10 for adults with $2 discounts for seniors, veterans, and Shook or Smathers descendants. Children under 10 are free.

In 1922 the Dorcas Bell Love chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution installed this monument on the lawn of ...
06/03/2026

In 1922 the Dorcas Bell Love chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution installed this monument on the lawn of the Haywood County Courthouse. It memorializes the ten Revolutionary War soldiers the women had identified that were buried in Haywood County.

After the war ended in 1783 many American Patriots began moving west in search of better land and a new start. Quite a few ended up in what is now Haywood County, not just the ten listed on the monument. Not all were buried here, as many continued westward.

At the Pioneer Heritage Festival, June 27 at the Shelton House in Waynesville, the Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society hope to honor as many Haywood Patriots as possible. As of now we have identified 23, but feel like there are more. Tell us about your Haywood County Patriot!

Latest acquisition at the Museum of Haywood County History: House Call by Clyde artist Willie Morgan. We have been gath...
05/27/2026

Latest acquisition at the Museum of Haywood County History: House Call by Clyde artist Willie Morgan. We have been gathering Willie's works from lucky owners around Haywood County and on July 11 we will be opening a retrospective of her art. If you own a painting by Willie we hope you will consider loaning it to the museum for the show.

This painting came to us with a great story. Willie traded this work to Dr. Jim Stringfield in exchange for medical services. We like to think the man in the carriage is a doctor on his way to make a house call. We are very grateful to Dr. Stringfield's son, Dan Stringfield, for donating this fine example of Willie's work.

Please message us if you have a painting you want included in Willie's show!

Are you ready to celebrate our country's 250th birthday? The Museum of Haywood County History has the perfect item to he...
05/26/2026

Are you ready to celebrate our country's 250th birthday? The Museum of Haywood County History has the perfect item to help you show your semiquincentennial pride. We have America 250 lapel pins for just $5. And you can pair it with a little Old Glory, available in our gift shop for $5.

Come in to shop Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 3pm. Or contact us for mail orders.

All purchases go toward preserving Haywood County history.

Clyde High School closed in 1966 when all the county high schools were consolidated into Pisgah and Tuscola. But former ...
05/15/2026

Clyde High School closed in 1966 when all the county high schools were consolidated into Pisgah and Tuscola. But former students from our smaller high schools still commemorate their time at their alma maters. Clyde High still has a reunion of former students every summer.

The artifacts from our schools are an important part of the collections at the Museum of Haywood County History. We welcome your contributions!

We have an extra copy of the Clyde High School book, written and compiled by Clyde teacher Sara Queen Brown. Get in touch if you need this great book.

Historical highway signs are a great introduction to the events of the past in an area. This sign for the Shook House wa...
05/14/2026

Historical highway signs are a great introduction to the events of the past in an area. This sign for the Shook House was erected decades ago by the Methodist Historical Society. It memorializes the visit to the house of Jacob Shook by Francis Asbury, one of the founders of the Methodist Church in America.

Asbury visited what is now Clyde in 1810 and most likely again in 1814. There has long been a debate about whether Asbury actually preached in the Shook House in 1810. You can read the entry in his diary and see that traveling over Cataloochee from Tennessee to Clyde, his party arrived at Shook's at 9 pm. They then left early the next morning headed to Buncombe.

Asbury himself said he preached wherever he visited. My guess is that Shook's family and Asbury's entourage were treated either to a short sermon or a long prayer by the famous circuit rider.

It's even more likely that Asbury preached in Shook's Campground (near the old Louisa Chapel Church) in 1814. He mentions in his diary that he preached at the camp meeting in "the bleak hills of Haywood ". Shook's was the only known campground in Haywood.

Learn more about the "Prophet of the Long Road by visiting the Museum of Haywood County History, located in the Shook-Smathers House in Clyde.

Yesterday was a very special day at the Museum of Haywood County History. We unveiled our fiber art hanging that celebr...
05/04/2026

Yesterday was a very special day at the Museum of Haywood County History. We unveiled our fiber art hanging that celebrates the heritage of the 1810 visit of Bishop Francis Asbury to the Shook family in what is today the town of Clyde.

The artist, Miranda Garbe, studied the story of the bishop's visit and the artifacts housed within the museum. Her work not only tells Bishop Asbury's story but also incorporates items important to the Shook-Smathers House story. She replicated the plaid design of a mid 19th century fabric made by Smathers family matriarch, Mary Agner Smathers, and incorporated her weaving into her design.

Miranda used several crafts in ma king the work. The border is overshot weaving with piecework corners. All the fabrics used in the design were woven and dyed (using natural dyes) by Miranda.

We want to again thank for the grant that made this possible. And of course a huge thanks to Miranda!²

We are all about textiles today at the Shook-Smathers House in Clyde. Come see our craftswomen demonstrate the same craf...
05/02/2026

We are all about textiles today at the Shook-Smathers House in Clyde. Come see our craftswomen demonstrate the same crafts that were practiced here for the past 225 years.

Also, be the first to see "Height after Height, and Five Miles Over " our new artifacts installation from Miranda Garbe.

Until 3 pm today. $5 admission.

Tomorrow is a day of celebration at the Museum of Haywood County History. It's our unveiling of "Height after Height, a...
05/02/2026

Tomorrow is a day of celebration at the Museum of Haywood County History. It's our unveiling of "Height after Height, and Five Miles Over" by weaver Miranda Garbe. Financed by a folk art grant from , this piece portrays the legacy of Bishop Francis Asbury while honoring the textile legacy of Haywood County women.

Be among the first to see "Height after Height, and Five Miles Over". As a bonus we will have other textile artists stationed throughout the historic Shook-Smathers House. Come see how the crafts of the past still live .

This event is tomorrow, May 2, from 11 am to 3 pm. Admission is $5. Come support your local museum while learning about our textile traditions.

Address

178 Morgan Street
Clyde, NC
28721

Telephone

+18285641044

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