More than 40 historic photographs of Canton are now on display at Canton Branch Library through Aug. 31. A public reception of the exhibit will be held at the library on Thursday, Aug. 9, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The exhibit features black-and-white photographs from the 1890s through the 1950s that celebrate schools, churches, industry, culture and the people of Canton.

"Images of Historic Canton" is made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Town of Canton, as well as individual contributions from throughout the county. This exhibit is part of an ongoing program known as the Haywood Snapshot Project, an outreach effort of the Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society. Peter and Lorna Sterling began the Haywood Snapshot Project in 2009 in order to save and catalogue historic Haywood County photographs, share them in public exhibits throughout the county, and sustain the program through community education and fund-raising. Michael Beadle now serves as the coordinator of the program.

The reception on Aug. 9 will feature refreshments, and a brief talk about the exhibit by Michael Beadle. For more information, call Canton Branch Library at (828) 648-2924.