Working Together Then & Now… Celebrating 150 Years

Working Together Then & Now… Celebrating 150 Years

On Monday, July 4th Clay County will celebrate Independence Day with something extra special this years… Our Sesquicentennial Anniversary as a North Carolina County.

The theme will be Working Together Then & Now and as a member of the planning committee, I would like to encourage area residents and visitors to attend and learn more about our wonderful little County. We have a special place which our founders recognized in 1861 and worked together to create a community of growth and potential that continues today. Whether you are a 4th generation resident as I am.. or you’ve been here a short time, it is now your home and community.

The 150th Committee has worked since early 2010 planning events to share our history and look toward our future. Preserving our heritage takes a lot of effort and we hope our mix of committee members and community outreach will help us plan for the next 50 years, as did our friends and relatives of 1962 for our Centennial year. Those of us on the Committee who were in high school or just starting our adult life in college or the workplace then enjoy sharing stories and working together now on our 2011 events.

Looking back, we share how we’ve grown up, as has Clay County, with similar patterns. In 1961, local jobs are scarce, Tri-County Community College was years away from opening its doors and we lived in one of the lowest income counties in North Carolina. We had to leave for both and higher education. While we were away, a tremendous effort  was put into ur schools and our systems grew to among the best in North Carolina. Farming, as we knew it, gave way to real estate development for both residential and business growth. Our population became more dic=verse and we no longer “related to most everyone in the County”. We recognized progress and efforts, the school board, CCCRA, CCHAC, Moss Memorial Library. the local newspapers, Clay Lodge 301, Veterans groups, community clubs, Chamber of Commerce, the new economic development team and other organizations as voices of our heritage and our future.

When we first requested photos and stories, J.C. Scroggs of Haywood County gave us a copy of the State Line Weekly ( early Brasstown newspaper). It is dated August 30, 1916 and featured a front page editorial by Fred O. Scroggs which is worth sharing because the content then relates to now…

“Clay County has a history of which we may be justly proud but how many know the history of our County, and will be preserved Clay County has produced some great men and there are people living now can give us accounts of their childhood, late achievement, etc. that will make interesting reading.  These facts should be preserved for future generations.”

Sandy Zimmerman- Sesquicentennial Committee.