Haywood County is named for John Haywood, who was a North Carolina State Treasurer.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Cocke County, Tennessee
E – Madison County and Buncombe County
W – Jackson County and Swain County
Created: December 15, 1808 
County Seat:
Mount Prospect 1809 – 1811
Waynesville 1811 – present
County Justice Center – Waynesville
Location: 285 North Main Street / Depot Street
Built: 1998 – 2005
Style: Modern
Architect: HLM Design
Contractor: Heery International, Inc.
Description: The building faces east and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Waynesville on the north side of the courthouse. The south side has a high porch with brick pillars and recessed glass walls and entrance. The windows are long and vertical. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 30th Judicial District.
County Courthouse – Waynesville
Location: 285 North Main Street / Depot Street
Built: 1931 – 1932
Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: William G Rogers and George N Rhodes
Contractor: Southeastern Construction Company
Description: The building faces east and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Waynesville. The central entrance has a curved pediment above with large windows on the second story. Vertical pilasters run along front with wide pediment at the roof line. The lower windows are arched. In the interior, the second story is reserved for the courtroom, which is the most elegant courtroom in North Carolina with ornamentation in the form of cartouches, swags and scroll cresting. There is a suspended balcony at the rear. Flat paneled Corinthian pilasters divide the window bays and serve as supports for the paneled beams which span the ceiling. Many of the moldings are accented by contrasting colors such as vermilion and gold against a light green colored background. Behind the judge’s bench is a life-sized bas-relief of Blind Justice. There are marble tablets inscribed with the Ten commandments. The building was renovated from 2001 to 2009.
See: The courtrooms of late Neo-Classicism are particularly noteworthy; they are the most handsome of any era. Harry Barton’s Guilford County Courthouse, Catawba County Courthouse (1924), and the Haywood County Courthouse (1932), both designed by Willard G Rogers of Charlotte, have courtrooms sumptuously decorated with plaster and woodwork employing many allegorical symbols of justice and elegant classical motifs.
See: The 30th Judicial District includes Cherokee County, Clay County, Graham County, Jackson County, Macon County and Swain County.
History: The county was created in 1808 and Waynesville was selected as the county seat in 1811. The first court was held at Mount Prospect in 1809. In 1811, Waynesville was confirmed as the county seat and the first courthouse was erected in 1811 to 1812. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1844. The third courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by Allen L Melton and built in 1884. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1931 to 1932, The County Justice Center was constructed in 1998 to 2005.
County Courthouse – Waynesville
Old County Courthouse – Waynesville
Photos taken 2012