A series of historic Haywood County photographs will be on display at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) gallery from Sept. 22 -Nov. 20.  

The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, is called “Haywood County Works:  Historic Photographs from the 1890s – 1950s.” The Haywood SnapShot Project, a program of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Haywood County, developed these works. The Project aims to gather, preserve and present unique, black-and-white photographs to the public as a tangible reminder of the county’s rich cultural history.

For this exhibit, more than two dozen photographs were chosen from local private collections, the Haywood County Public Library, the Canton Historical Museum and the Historical and Genealogical Society of Haywood County. Thanks to the work of Canton photographer Roland Osborne, many of the images have been restored and enlarged to 16-by-20-inch dimensions, which will allow viewers to see the images in larger detail.

The exhibit includes photographs from communities all over Haywood County, including Crabtree, Hazelwood, Maggie Valley, Bethel and Canton. Some of these images date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, and some have not been seen for 60 years or more. They offer insights into aspects of daily life, hard work and much loved traditions of the people and communities that shaped the county’s legacy. Each photograph includes accompanying information on its historical context. The Project is seeking the assistance of the public in identifying more information about some of the locations and individuals captured in the photographs.

The exhibition will be available for viewing during HART performances and during the hours the HART box office is open. The theatre is located at 250 Pigeon Street (U.S. 276 South) in Waynesville.

For more information, contact Peter Sterling at 828.454.9267 or call the HART box office at 828.456.6322 for hours of operation.

Want to go?

There are also events on Tuesday, Sept. 27, to kick off the exhibit:

• 6-7:15 p.m. at the HART gallery — A public viewing of the “Haywood County Works” exhibit.

• 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Haywood County Public Library's Waynesville branch in the downstairs auditorium — A presentation on the Sherrill Studio photo collection.