Est. 1808 · Haywood County Seat History · Western North Carolina Settlement · Civil War Presence
Waynesville was established as the Haywood County seat in the early 19th century and developed along a Main Street commercial corridor that still includes buildings from the antebellum period through the early 20th century. The town served as a hub for western North Carolina trade and was touched by Civil War activity, with Union forces entering the area in late April and early May 1865 in one of the final engagements of the war in the region.
The History and Haunts Tour was developed by Waynesville Walking Tours to draw on the town's documented record of frontier justice, criminal cases, and unexplained local legends. Guide Ginger Aumen, who has led the tour for multiple seasons, uses period newspaper accounts and county records to ground each stop in verifiable history rather than unattributed ghost lore.
A key stop on the tour is a downtown alley near what is now Citizens Bank & Trust Co. on Main Street. According to accounts documented by Mountain Xpress and local oral tradition, a man was shot and killed in the alley, and guides report that visitors have detected an unexplained presence at the site. The tour typically runs during October as part of Waynesville's seasonal programming and attracts visitors from across western North Carolina.
The walk covers approximately 200 years of Waynesville's Main Street history, moving through blocks that have seen multiple generations of business, violence, and transformation while the town's commercial core remained relatively intact.
Sources
- https://mountainx.com/news/history/old-crimes-and-eerie-tales-fuel-ghost-tours-in-mountain-towns
- https://www.waynesvillewalkingtours.com/
- https://northcarolinatraveler.com/ghost-tours-in-north-carolina/
ApparitionsUnexplained presence
The alley stop near Citizens Bank & Trust Co. on Main Street is the tour's most frequently cited location. According to guide Ginger Aumen and accounts documented in Mountain Xpress, a man was shot and killed in the alley at some point in Waynesville's history. The account is anchored in documented criminal records rather than passed-down rumor, which distinguishes this stop from many ghost tour staples. Visitors have reported sensing an unexplained presence at the alley during evening tours.
The broader tour covers multiple historic Main Street buildings with their own documented histories of crime, tragedy, and unexplained activity. Because the tour draws on county records and newspaper archives, individual stops vary by season and guide, with new historical material incorporated as research continues.
Waynesville's mountain geography, its role as an interior trade hub during the Civil War, and the relative preservation of its downtown corridor have kept local historical memory comparatively intact — making the tour unusual in being able to point to period documentation for many of its claims rather than relying solely on oral tradition.
