''Clay County Progress'' is a weekly newspaper in Hayesville,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

. It covers Clay and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

counties in North Carolina and

Towns County, Georgia Towns County is a county in the Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,493. Its county seat is Hiawassee. The county was created on March 6, 1856, and named for lawyer, legislator, and pol ...

. The Progress is owned by

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

-based Community Newspapers, Inc., which also operates the ''

Cherokee Scout The ''Cherokee Scout'' is a weekly newspaper in Murphy, North Carolina, and Cherokee County. It is one of the largest newspapers in far-west North Carolina. The print edition is published on Wednesdays and had a paid circulation of 5,748 in 202 ...

'' in

Murphy Murphy is an Irish surname meaning "Sea Warrior". Origins and variants The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac Murchaidh"/" Mac Murchadh" (son of "Murchadh") derived ...

, the '' Graham Star'' in Robbinsville, and the ''

Smoky Mountain Times ''Smoky Mountain Times'' is a weekly newspaper based in Bryson City, North Carolina. It is published on Thursdays and has served the people of Swain County, North Carolina since 1883. The newspaper is owned by Athens, Georgia-based Community News ...

'' in

Bryson City Bryson City is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The population was 1,558 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in what was historically the land of the Cherokee, Bryson City was found ...

, amongst other publications in the southeastern United States.

History

The ''Clay County Progress'' was preceded by two other newspapers. The ''Clay County Courier'' launched in 1902 and operated through at least 1909. It was published by G.W. Sanderson and edited by G.H. Haigler. The ''Clay County News'' launched Sep. 17, 1926. James Andrew Gray began publishing it with his wife as associate editor. Subsequent editors included Alvin Penland (1937-1938), Eula Gray (1938-1939), and Lucille Padgett (1939-1942). L. E. Hollifield, Jr., bought the newspaper in March 1942 and then sold publishing rights to Cross Printing Co., of

Clayton, Georgia Clayton is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 2,003 at the 2020 census. The county seat of Rabun County, it is in the Blue Ridge Mountains. History The area that eventually became Clayton was called the Dividi ...

, by October 1942. At that time L. P. Cross took over duties as editor and the paper was printed in Clayton. ''The Clay County News'' stopped printing in 1943, only to be briefly revived by Rev. L. P. Smith, Guy Padgett and Hattie Jarrett in 1947 before closing for good the following year. In November 1951, Rev. J. K. Hutchings, pastor of a baptist church in

Hiawassee, Georgia Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States. The population was 981 at the 2020 census. Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word ''Ayuhwasi'', which means meadow, (A variant spelling, "Hiwassee, ...

, and publisher of the '' Towns County Herald'', started the ''Clay County Progress''. Publishing rights were sold to ''The Cherokee Scout'' in nearby Murphy in 1961 and the ''Scout'' printed a combined ''Cherokee Scout and Clay County Progress'' edition between 1961 and 1980. The ''Progress'' has been printed on the ''Scouts press ever since. The ''Progress'' has twice faced competition. In 1975, the ''Mountain News'' opened an office in Hayesville. It is uncertain how long the paper printed locally. Between 1987 and January 2012, weekly newspaper ''The Smoky Mountain Sentinel'' operated out of Hayesville. The ''Sentinel'' had a circulation of 4,000 when it shut down due to the publisher falling ill. Since it closed, the ''Progress'' has been the only newspaper in Clay County. In the 1980s, The ''Progress'' was headquartered on the town square at 57 Main Street before moving to Moore's Plaza on Business Highway 64. In 2003, the newspaper moved to a brick building on the square at 43 Main Street. In October 2023, the paper returned to Moore's Plaza but did not explain why it moved. ''The Progress'' has sponsored Clay County's annual Christmas parade since its inception in 1987. The newspaper's website
ClayCountyProgress.com
launched by February 2002. ''The Progress'' began publishing "Reader's Choice" awards in 2022.

Publishers

# J. K. Hutchings (1951–1952) # Paul G. Cutright (1952–1953) # Lucille Padgett (1953–1954) # Gene Robinson (1954–1957) # Denzle Whitehair (1957–1961) # Cherokee Scout (1961–1980) # Fran Fuller (–1986) # Faith Hall (1986–1987) # Lonnie Britt (1987–) # Becky Long (1992–present)

References

Weekly newspapers published in North Carolina Clay County, North Carolina Newspapers established in 1951 {{NorthCarolina-newspaper-stub

History

Publishers

See also

References