02/04/2023
The Deep River and the Haw River meet in southern Chatham Co. Just north of that confluence lies the skeleton of a small historical town named Haywood. Prior to the Civil War, Haywood was a thriving town built to support what entrepreneurs hoped would become a major shipping area. By 1800 Governor Benjamin Williams and state treasurer John Haywood had purchased lots in the new town--which would later be named after Haywood. But for travel along the upper Cape Fear River to be successful, the river needed to be improved. Dams and locks (still existing) were built and for a short time, coal from the Gulf/Cumnock area was shipped south but never enough to make the shipping company profitable. Following the Civil War, railroads became the transport of choice. But Haywood continued to grow and became a site of racial cooperation for a short time during Reconstruction. When the railroad operations were located west of Haywood, in the area now known as Moncure, Haywood began it's slide toward obscurity.
All that remains are a handful of houses and this church and graveyard. Built in 1859, the church was originally Presbyterian. Today it is the Haywood Bible Church. Still looking for a more detailed history on the church if anyone knows it.
