The Sherrill Studio

Robert Ferguson, the young man in the cap, has something in common with the other men in these photos (who have not yet been identified; can you help us discover more about them?): their portraits were all printed using glass negatives from the Sherrill Studio. In 1902, a Jackson County-born photographer named George Sherrill, Sr. moved with his family to Waynesville to open a photo studio at 39 Depot St. He died in 1931 but his studio remained a thriving business up until the 1980s.

These images demonstrate the kind of quality one could expect from the Sherrill Studio. Known for his portraits, Sherrill and his photographers captured generations of Haywood County citizens in a variety of settings including weddings, funerals, school functions, family reunions, and church and community events. In 2010, Ken Ashe (related to the Sherrill family through marriage) donated thousands of the studio’s photographs, prints, and negatives to the Haywood County Historical & Genealogical Society. Much of the “Sherrill Studio Photo Collection" is now available for viewing at southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org.

Photographs courtesy of Haywood County Historical & Genealogical Society