Macon County was created in 1828
from Haywood Co., NC, and named for Nathaniel Macon of Warren
Co., NC. The land from which Macon County was created was
part of the lands ceded by the Cherokee in the 1819 Treaty.
Before that, the "settled" line, set in 1802,
ran through what is now Jackson County, NC.
It is widely believed that there
were white settlers in Western North Carolina before 1802,
however. This belief is supported by an 1820 survey done
by Capt. Robert Love in this area. Capt. Love noted which
land lots were already settled, a few by "Indians"
but many more by white squatters.
In 1839, Cherokee County was created
from Macon County, and in 1851, Jackson County was created
from parts of Macon and Haywood Counties.
Franklin is the county seat of Macon
County. Other towns and communities are Otto, Tessentee,
Scaly Mtn., Highlands, Cullasaja, Iotla, Nantahala, Cartoogechaye,
Burningtown, Ellijay, Gneiss, and Cowee, to name a few.
