Haywood EMC’s Beginnings
On October 20, 1938, seven members from the Pigeon, East Fork and Cecil Townships met at Rickman’s Store in the Cruso community of Haywood County.
During this lamplight-lit gathering, William B. Poston, Ira H. Cogburn, Mrs. Etta P. (McCall) Grogan, D.L. Pless, Mrs. E.B. Rickman, C.M. Deaver and Watson Howell set in motion the beginnings of providing themselves and their neighbors with electricity—something that until then, had only been found in cities.
Those in attendance knew that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had recently signed an Executive Order for the establishment of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) to provide money to build electric lines throughout rural America. Since private electric companies had not extended their lines to the rural areas due to lack of profitability, organizing an Electric Cooperative was the only hope of getting electricity to the Pigeon River Valley.
Following the meeting, the proposed charter for the Cruso Mutual Electric Company was filed with the Secretary of State on October 31, 1938. Before power could be brought to homes, there was a lot of work to be done over the next several months.
By late summer of 1939, bylaws had been created, families had become a member-owners of the cooperative, right-of-way easements were secured, and several miles of powerlines had been built. On August 23, 1939, the hard work of these community members finally paid off. At 10 a.m. that day, all 37 miles of power line were energized, reaching the 170 member-owners’ homes in the upper Pigeon River Valley. From that moment on, it was no longer necessary for rural residents to clean blackened lamp globes each day for lighting in their homes.
A time of great change and growth
During the first year of operation, the cooperative had three different superintendents. Carter Trull was the first, followed by Oscar Briggs, and in February 1940, J.W. Howell became manager. On August 10, 1940, the Cruso Mutual Electric Company was re-chartered under the name of Cruso Electric Membership Corporation in order to receive a greater tax break through the North Carolina Membership Act.
More and more rural residents were anxious to receive electricity. In the fall of 1940, the second REA loan amount of $135,000 was granted to provide electric service to more than 600 new members in the Beaverdam, Clyde, Fines Creek, Iron Duff, Jonathan Creek and Ivy Hill Townships. Bethel-Cruso would no longer be the center of activity, so the cooperative office was moved to Clyde.
Around this time, J.W. Howell resigned as superintendent and was replaced by Jim Moore. Because of the extensive work being done in Haywood County, the cooperative was then re-chartered as Haywood Electric Membership Corporation in November 1943. Shortly after, the cooperative office was moved to Waynesville, where it remained for the next 60- plus years.
The lack of building materials curtailed line construction during World War II and the board of directors changed the bylaws to allow for expansion into other counties. In 1943, the cooperative purchased the Hominy Power Company in Buncombe Country, and in 1945, secured electric contracts with Nantahala Power & Light Company and Duke Power Company for supplying wholesale power to Transylvania, Macon and Jackson counties in North Carolina. Service was later extended beyond North Carolina’s borders into Rabun County, Georgia, and Oconee County, South Carolina.
In September 1945, Superintendent Jim Moore resigned and was replaced by R.C. Sheffield, the cooperative's first full-time bookkeeper. Sheffield managed the cooperative until 1974, at which time John W. Browning assumed the position.
Bringing modern convenience to the rural mountains
Haywood EMC continued to bring modern convenience to homes across its service territory through the years. First, with the introduction of electricity to homes followed by electric agricultural tools to assist dairy farmers with the daily work of milking. As technology advanced, home appliances became widely available, and the cooperative promoted the many uses of these new tools to make life more comfortable.
With the modernization of homes came electric heating and cooling within the homes. Haywood EMC took the steps to assist member-owners in purchasing modern HVAC systems. Just as the cooperative has done through all of its 85 years of existence, Haywood EMC continues to strive for electrical advancement in bringing modern convenience through technology to the rural mountain communities it serves.
For 85 years, Haywood EMC has been here for you and will continue to strive for a brighter future for all of its existance.