The town of Waynesville was founded in 1810 by Colonel Robert Love, a Revolutionary War soldier. He donated land for the courthouse, jail, and public square, and named the town after his former commander in the war, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne.
Waynesville was incorporated as a town in 1871. In July 1995, the towns of Hazelwood and Waynesville merged into one community and continued to grow with a population today of over 10,000.
The "Battle" of Waynesville
Waynesville was the scene of the last and perhaps most unusual skirmish in the eastern theater of the American Civil War. On May 6, 1865, Union Colonel William C. Bartlett's 2nd North Carolina (Federal) Mounted Infantry were attacked at White Sulphur Springs (east of Waynesville) by a detachment of rebels from Thomas' Legion of Highlanders, who had been summoned by locals.
The disoriented Union soldiers retreated into Waynesville, and on the evening of May 6 remaining elements of Thomas' Legion surrounded the town. The soldiers lit numerous bonfires on the ridges above the town and engaged in war chants in an effort to intimidate the Federals. The following day the Confederate commanders Gen. James Green Martin and Col. William Holland Thomas (for whom the Legion was named) negotiated a surrender. These commanders had been made aware that Generals Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnston had already surrendered and that continued hostilities would prove pointless.
Frog Level
Waynesville Train Depot in Frog Level, c. 1890s
Waynesville began to see development after arrival of the railroad in 1884. The agricultural, lumber and tourism industries in Waynesville and Haywood County began to thrive as access to the west was opened up.
The area of Waynesville located along Richland Creek, northwest and downhill from Main Street, was where the railroad tracks were laid. Until this time the area had been essentially a swampland, with a few scattered buildings but no major development. Once the depot was built and the train arrived this section was developed. It was given the name of "Frog Level" by the local community because of its low-lying location along Richland Creek, the "frog level" when the area flooded.
Downtown and the nearby Frog Level commercial centers of Waynesville continued to be the central focus for social life, transportation, and wholesale and retail businesses through the 1940s. Businesses in the Frog Level area in the 1930s and 1940s included hardware stores, farm supplies, coal sales, auto dealers and garages, furniture stores, wholesale groceries, and warehouses and lumber companies, all of which were businesses dependent on the railroad.
As the automobile became the primary mode of transportation for most residents, the railroad declined in importance. This in turn led to a shift of business away from Frog Level. The last passenger train arrived in Waynesville in 1949, and freight trains pass through Frog Level twice daily, with most trains continuing on to Sylva.
By the 1980s, the railroad in Waynesville had been integrated into the Southern Railway Company system. The first depot burned in 1900, but it was soon replaced with another depot that remained standing until 1987.
Geography
Waynesville is located southwest of the center of Haywood County in the valley of Richland Creek, a tributary of the Pigeon River.
Waynesville's water supply is located south of the town, with a watershed that covers an area of 8,400 acres (34 km2) of town-owned land on the headwaters of Allens Creek. Tributary streams within the watershed flow into the Waynesville Reservoir, a 50-acre (200,000 m2) lake created by a dam on Allens Creek. The reservoir and surrounding watershed are classified by the state of North Carolina as WS-1. This classification is the state's most stringent and forbids development within the watershed boundary.
Neighborhoods
Downtown Waynesville
Downtown - Once the primary retail business center of the town, downtown Waynesville is now home to art galleries, cafes, restaurants, shops, banks, doctors offices, and town and county government administration buildings.
Frog Level - The historic district whose name came about because of frequent flooding of Richland Creek. As transportation shifted from railway to cars in the 1940s, business shifted up the hill to higher ground. By the '70s and '80s, Frog Level became known as a seedy part of downtown, mainly due to a now-closed bar called The Tap Room. In recent years, the revitalization of Main Street has spread down into this area. In 2003, the Frog Level Historic District was placed in the National Register of Historic Places. The local merchants association presents The Whole Bloomin' Thing Spring Festival every year just before the last frost date, marking the start of planting season for the locals. The festival draws approximately 8,000 attendees to the area and features nature-related themes. The historic Murphy Branch of the old Western North Carolina Railroad runs through Frog Level and still carries freight rail traffic twice daily from the Blue Ridge Southern Railway, which now owns the line.
Hazelwood - Due to financial troubles, this once independent town ceased to exist and was annexed by Waynesville in 1995. Its ZIP code is 28738.
Laurel Ridge - The Laurel Ridge neighborhood is connected to a country club of the same name and features a golf course, pool, tennis courts, and upscale mountain homes.
West Waynesville - Once the industrial part of town, West Waynesville is now home to Waynesville Commons, a large retail shopping center which sits on the site of an old Dayco rubber hose factory.
Russ Avenue - A newer business district featuring restaurants, retail stores, auto dealerships, banks, and grocery stores. Russ Avenue is the most traveled surface street in Haywood County and is slated for a major makeover by the NCDOT in the 2020s.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,140 people, 4,680 households, and 2,724 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 9,232 people, 4,106 households, and 2,545 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,191.8 inhabitants per square mile (460.2/km2). There were 4,761 housing units at an average density of 614.6 per square mile (237.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.42% White, 3.31% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.76% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.01% of the population.
There were 4,106 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.71.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,296, and the median income for a family was $36,404. Males had a median income of $26,374 versus $21,159 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,821. 15.5% of the population and 12.6% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.3% of those under the age of 18 and 10.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Government
The Town of Waynesville Mayor and the Town Council are elected to serve four year concurrent terms. The board determines policy and budget direction, and the town manager, appointed by the board, oversees and directs the day-to-day operations of the Town and all of its departments.[13]
In 2014, Watco purchased all of the railroad track running through Waynesville from Norfolk Southern for its Blue Ridge Southern Railroad short line. The line connects Waynesville by railroad to Sylva to the west, as well as to the interchange with Norfolk Southern at Asheville to the east.[14]
^"Station: Waynesville 1 E, NC". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
