History of Sylva, North Carolina

The Sylva Post Office was established in 1880, with the name Sylva chosen by the daughter of the town's founder, E.R. Hampton. An itinerant Dane named William D. Sylva worked at a sawmill owned by Hampton's relatives. He sawed lumber for some of the earliest homes built in Sylva, including the Hampton house. After working for a short time in what was now his namesake, William D. Sylva ventured westward as quickly as he had arrived, eventually reaching parts unknown.

The building of a railroad at request of local citizens pushed Sylva into a rivalry with nearby Dillsboro and Webster, but the small town became the county's focal point when the Western North Carolina Railroad rolled in during the summer of 1884, and Sylva was incorporated March 9, 1889.

Soon after, Sylva became Jackson County's site for the annual fair. Sylva began to push for moving the county seat from Webster and in 1901, the Legislature approved an election. The County Board of Commissioners declined to hold the election, but the issue refused to go away. Again, the General Assembly intervened and called for an election in 1913, when Sylva wrestled the county seat away from Webster in a heated election and began constructing the courthouse building in 1914 on Main Street.

Sylva has continued to grow as the county center for service and business. The town is governed by a mayor and five-member board of commissioners.