History of the Town of Clyde
Clyde Township was formed in 1877 from Pigeon, Beaverdam and Waynesville. At first it was called Lower Pigeon. Later the township was named Clyde after the little town that had grown up on the banks of the Pigeon River. We are not exactly sure how Clyde got its name but here are the tales we have heard:
•A man who lived on the Clyde River in Scotland came to North Carolina to live. He thought the area reminded him of home and named the area Clyde.
•When the railroad was under construction the foreman’s name was Clyde. All the workers called his name so much the town was named Clyde.
•The iron for the old bridge across the Pigeon River came from the Clyde Ironworks in Ohio. The name Clyde was stamped all over the steel and the town was named Clyde. This bridge was washed away in a flood in the earlier years.
The first settlers of Clyde engaged in agricultural pursuits, merchandising and raising livestock.
In 1883, the first train pulled into what is now the town of Clyde. At the time this was only a stopping place for the train with hardly a house in sight. J.M. Shook gave the lot upon which the depot was built, and in the year of 1889, the town of Clyde was incorporated.
In 1890, there were 90 people living in Clyde and in 1900, there were 244. In the early 1900s, there were several businesses: a flour mill, several boarding schools, the Haywood Institute and the Baptist Associational School. The public schools for the area were also located here. The town was noted as a health resort, and many people from the southern and western states came yearly here to spend the summer. There was once a firm that manufactured liquor barrels in Clyde, but now the town is dry. No alcohol beverages can be sold in Clyde.
A generation ago, Clyde was the major livestock shopping point west of Asheville. The old timers can remember when the streets of the town were filled with livestock when farmers from surrounding areas brought their livestock to the town to ship them out on railroad cars. The old livestock yard stood for several years not far from the center of town. During the days when the livestock trade flourished, the town sported two hotels, and two livery stables.
One of the hotels, the Drummer’s Inn, was razed in the late 1940s to make way for the construction of the four lane U.S. 19-23 through the center of town. The other hotel, the old Yankee Hopps hotel, is now operated as Skyland Camp for Girls.
The town limits were a perfect circle with the center of town being the knot hole in the depot door. Since the knot hole long ago disappeared with the depot, the center of town is located near where the 50 mm anti-aircraft gun, or more popularly known as “the big gun,” is located on the town square. This gun was acquired due to the efforts of David Brown. Now a memorial which is dedicated to the memory of the Clyde township veterans who gave their lives during World War I and II, Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. This memorial has now become a part of Clyde and now bears its picture on the town seal.
Clyde is also the home of the famous Shook-Smathers Museum, one of the oldest buildings still standing in Haywood County. It was built around 1795 by Jacob Shook for his son Peter. This house is known and associated with the founding of Methodism in Haywood County. The first Methodist Bishop consecrated in America, Bishop Francis Asbury, stayed at the house. In later years the attic of the home was converted into a chapel where other Methodist missionaries preached.
The town’s current tax rate for fiscal year 2006/2007 is .45 cents per $100 dollar valuation. The town continues to strive to keep the rate as low as possible because we have elderly and retired residents living on a fixed income.
Clyde facts
Founded: 1877
Location: 35.55 degrees north, 82.9 degrees west
Size: 1 square mile
Population: 1,354 (2006 estimates)
Race: 94 percent white, 2.5 percent black, 1.9 percent Latino, 1.4 percent Native American, .8 percent other
Government: Mayor, four aldermen, town manager
Schools: Clyde Elementary, Riverbend Elementary, Central Haywood High School, Haywood Early College, Haywood Community College
•A man who lived on the Clyde River in Scotland came to North Carolina to live. He thought the area reminded him of home and named the area Clyde.
•When the railroad was under construction the foreman’s name was Clyde. All the workers called his name so much the town was named Clyde.
•The iron for the old bridge across the Pigeon River came from the Clyde Ironworks in Ohio. The name Clyde was stamped all over the steel and the town was named Clyde. This bridge was washed away in a flood in the earlier years.
The first settlers of Clyde engaged in agricultural pursuits, merchandising and raising livestock.
In 1883, the first train pulled into what is now the town of Clyde. At the time this was only a stopping place for the train with hardly a house in sight. J.M. Shook gave the lot upon which the depot was built, and in the year of 1889, the town of Clyde was incorporated.
In 1890, there were 90 people living in Clyde and in 1900, there were 244. In the early 1900s, there were several businesses: a flour mill, several boarding schools, the Haywood Institute and the Baptist Associational School. The public schools for the area were also located here. The town was noted as a health resort, and many people from the southern and western states came yearly here to spend the summer. There was once a firm that manufactured liquor barrels in Clyde, but now the town is dry. No alcohol beverages can be sold in Clyde.
A generation ago, Clyde was the major livestock shopping point west of Asheville. The old timers can remember when the streets of the town were filled with livestock when farmers from surrounding areas brought their livestock to the town to ship them out on railroad cars. The old livestock yard stood for several years not far from the center of town. During the days when the livestock trade flourished, the town sported two hotels, and two livery stables.
One of the hotels, the Drummer’s Inn, was razed in the late 1940s to make way for the construction of the four lane U.S. 19-23 through the center of town. The other hotel, the old Yankee Hopps hotel, is now operated as Skyland Camp for Girls.
The town limits were a perfect circle with the center of town being the knot hole in the depot door. Since the knot hole long ago disappeared with the depot, the center of town is located near where the 50 mm anti-aircraft gun, or more popularly known as “the big gun,” is located on the town square. This gun was acquired due to the efforts of David Brown. Now a memorial which is dedicated to the memory of the Clyde township veterans who gave their lives during World War I and II, Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. This memorial has now become a part of Clyde and now bears its picture on the town seal.
Clyde is also the home of the famous Shook-Smathers Museum, one of the oldest buildings still standing in Haywood County. It was built around 1795 by Jacob Shook for his son Peter. This house is known and associated with the founding of Methodism in Haywood County. The first Methodist Bishop consecrated in America, Bishop Francis Asbury, stayed at the house. In later years the attic of the home was converted into a chapel where other Methodist missionaries preached.
The town’s current tax rate for fiscal year 2006/2007 is .45 cents per $100 dollar valuation. The town continues to strive to keep the rate as low as possible because we have elderly and retired residents living on a fixed income.
Clyde facts
Founded: 1877
Location: 35.55 degrees north, 82.9 degrees west
Size: 1 square mile
Population: 1,354 (2006 estimates)
Race: 94 percent white, 2.5 percent black, 1.9 percent Latino, 1.4 percent Native American, .8 percent other
Government: Mayor, four aldermen, town manager
Schools: Clyde Elementary, Riverbend Elementary, Central Haywood High School, Haywood Early College, Haywood Community College