Lost But Not Forgotten: Mapping Jackson County's Historic Communities

Jackson County, NC has several small and large communities, many of which no longer appear on modern maps. Despite this, these communities are important to those who live in them and have fascinating stories that leave important legacies in Jackson County. Jackson County has had a total of 84 post offices over its history that range alphabetically from Addie to Woods, dwindling down to only 10 today.

Jackson County was a world unto itself for much of its history. Robert Blanton, who grew up in Beta in the 1930's, said, when he was growing up, he "didn’t think the county went farther than Sylva. Well, I did know about Canton – we’d hauled pulp wood over there." This shows the small and tight-knit atmosphere of the communities in Jackson County in the early 20th century.

This project examines these small communities in Jackson County by using historic maps, photos, oral histories, and other written sources to learn about these historic communities and be able to tell their stories now that they are mostly lost to modern maps.