The Way House

From the early 1800s through much of the 20th century, Waynesville was a boarding town. Whether traveling for vacation or business, families and individuals could find rooms available at many of Waynesville’s taverns, inns, and homes. Main Street in particular offered a wide variety of boarding houses and hotels.

Proprietor of the Way House (at ​​145 S Main Street) Dr. Joseph Howell Way, Sr. championed the town’s cool mountain air and nearby mineral springs as restorative cures for ailments such as arthritis and respiratory conditions.

A vacationing couple can be seen here playing lawn croquet in the yard of the Pinecrest boarding house, circa 1910, which was across the street from First Baptist Church of Waynesville, seen in the background.

Photographs courtesy of Henry Foy, The Haywood County Library Digital Collection