The Museum of Haywood County History

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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.

The folk art wall hanging has arrived! Our unveiling is tomorrow, May 2, from 11-3. We have hung it up, so if you can’t ...
05/01/2026

The folk art wall hanging has arrived! Our unveiling is tomorrow, May 2, from 11-3.
We have hung it up, so if you can’t come tomorrow, come by today. We are open until 3:00. Regular admission applies today.
This project was made possible by a grant from Partners for Sacred Places!

Congratulations to our intern, Skylar Smathers. Skylar's capstone presentation told how she completely revamped the Civ...
04/27/2026

Congratulations to our intern, Skylar Smathers. Skylar's capstone presentation told how she completely revamped the Civil War display at the Museum of Haywood County History. It has been a real pleasure having such an enthusiastic and motivated college student here at the Museum.

Some time ago the Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society received a folk art grant from . After much discus...
04/27/2026

Some time ago the Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society received a folk art grant from . After much discussion it was decided to commission a wall hanging commemorating the 1810 visit to the home of Jacob Shook by Methodist circuit-riding bishop Francis Asbury. Weaver Miranda Garbe, who trained at was engaged to design and execute a pictorial and symbolic piece to be hung in the third floor chapel of the Shook-Smathers House in Clyde.

This Saturday, May 2, we will hold a special event to unveil Miranda's work. We will have textile artists working throughout the house and Miranda will be in the chapel to talk about her work.

The event starts at 11 am and runs throughout the day until 3 pm. Admission is $5. Please join us to see this stunning work and to learn about traditional textile crafts.

Address

178 Morgan Street
Clyde, NC
28721

Telephone

+18285641044

Website

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