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Editorials - 01/04/01County's 150th birthday is reason for celebration |
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When we ushered in the new year Mon-day, we began the 365 days that col-lectively mark Jackson County's Sesquicentennial. It was 150 years ago, in 1851, that our county was formed from territory that was then part of both Haywood and Macon.
It's a landmark that deserves to be celebrated. Our two historical groups - the Jackson County Historical Association and the Webster Historical Society - are teaming up to present a variety of programs to spotlight Jackson's storied past. Here at the newspaper, we also have a birthday, our 75th, and we plan a weekly feature that will highlight news and photos from our early files. In addition, we plan to publish a special commemorative section that will contain as much information as possible about Jackson's first century and a half. We hope that publication of our souvenir section will coincide with a countywide celebration of this anniversary year. County commissioners are researching the events that led up to the 1951 downtown celebration to determine what role they should play in organizing this year's sesquicentennial observance. While we don't know for sure what they'll find, we have a feeling that the weeklong festivities that marked the county's 100th year back in 1951 were initiated by county leaders. We know that Jennings Bryson, an elected county commissioner (and probably commissioners' chairman) that year, was chairman of the 1951 Centennial Committee. Whatever the impetus for that celebration, we think our county commissioners should be the ones to get the ball rolling this year. We hope they'll look favorably on spearheading a downtown celebration for late summer or early fall. We here at The Herald will help in any way we can, and it's an idea that's sure to have widespread community support. Current county commissioners have a responsibility to protect and preserve local history. If they shirk this duty, they will do a disservice not only to the sturdy pioneers who built this county, but also to today's youth who need to know their legacy. Counties don't turn 150 every year. Let's make our Sesquicentennial a time to remember and honor Jackson County's distinguished past. Editorial policyThe opinions expressed on this page are those of the Sylva Herald Editorial Committee. Opinions are derived independently and owe no allegiance to any group, organization or political party. We welcome opposing views. |
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