Haywood County Commemorates the
150th Anniversary of the American Civil War.
The Haywood County Civil War Sesquicentennial, entitled “Last Shot Fired” will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Haywood County. The series of events will take place over three weekends in April, May and June of 2015. These events will educate and entertain, and will appeal to a variety of visitors from all over the state and country.
Some of the attendees will have already visited New Hanover County in the eastern part of the state to participate in their January 2015 commemoration of the Battle of Fort Fisher. Many will have continued on, in February 2015, to view the reenactment of the fall of Fort Anderson in Brunswick County. The trek continues in March of 2015 to a commemoration of the Battle of Bentonville in Johnston County. Our plan is to continue that momentum by drawing these same enthusiasts and tourists to our Civil War events in
April, May and June of 2015.
Here in Haywood County, the commemoration begins during a mid-April weekend with HART Theatre’s performances of the critically acclaimed play, “The Actor and the Assassin.” Written by Executive Director Stephen Lloyd, and portraying John Wilkes Booth and his brother, Edwin Booth, the one-act play reenacts the sibling rivalry that served as a backdrop to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865. The play will be performed 150 years after Lincoln’s assassination. Lloyd toured the play around the country for 17 years, both directing it and playing the role of Edwin. He is reviving the production specifically for our Sesquicentennial.
The next Haywood County Civil War Sesquicentennial weekend, May 8, 9, and 10, commemorates the 150th anniversary of the “Last Shot” of the Civil War east of the Mississippi which took place at White Sulphur Springs in Waynesville, the Haywood County seat.
The last weekend of the Sesquicentennial, June 12 and 13, commemorates the 150th anniversary of the environs in Haywood County after the surrenders of Confederate Troops. This weekend is entitled “Occupation and Reconstruction.”
Both May and June weekends will consist of reenactments, living history camps, memorial services, movies, lectures, and tours of the five Haywood County Civil War sites on the Civil War Trails.
Even Civil War enthusiasts, generally, are not aware that a significant and final skirmish took place in Haywood County in May of 1865, after Lee surrendered at Appomattox and after the defeat at the Battle of Bentonville, near Smithfield, NC. Our events will educate the public as to Haywood County’s significant role at the end of the war by providing informative, fun, entertaining itineraries.
To learn more and view a schedule of events, visit www.lastshotfired.com.