Swain County Courthouse in Bryson City, North Carolina

Jul 10, 2015 Fri0

Laurie and I like riding our Gold Wing motorcycle. But it is easy to get into a rut and just ride the same roads. So to force ourselves to ride to places we would not normally visit we made a goal to visit and photograph all 100 North Carolina courthouses within 1 year.

As usual, we got a little behind. We started in July 2015 and finished 99 out of 100 by June 2018. The last courthouse was in our home county of Wake and it took us until Feb 2021 to get that final one. But we made it! This blog is about one of those visits.

Many NC courthouses were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The nomination form has some interesting facts about the various courthouse styles over the years.






Courthouse Information


Wikipedia says the following about the courthouse:

The Swain County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Main and Fry Streets in Bryson City, the county seat of Swain County, North Carolina. The two-story Classical Revival structure was designed by Frank Pierce Milburn and R. S. Smith, and built in 1908. It has a central core block, which is fronted by a Classical tetrastyle portico with Ionic columns and has a hip roof. This block is flanked by symmetrical wings, except for the southern facade, where a secondary entrance is flanked by Ionic pilasters. It is the county's third courthouse; the first was a log structure built in 1872, and the second was built in 1880 after the first burned down.

The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.






County Information


The North Carolina History Project lists the following information for this county:

A mountain county formed from Macon and Jackson counties, Swain County was established in 1871. Named after David Lowry Swain, an influential governor of North Carolina, the region has always been inhabited by the Cherokee. Although the government removed most of the Cherokee from the region in 1838 and led them on the notorious Trail of Tears, several tribe members remained in the area. After years of petitioning the federal government, the Cherokee formed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the tribe resides in the Qualla Boundary, a large tract of land that encompasses nearly 50,000 acres.

A county devoted to its rich Indian heritage, Swain is home to the town of Cherokee that is located in the midst of the Qualla Boundary. Numerous members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee live in the Qualla Boundary, and most have remained close to the Cherokee tradition. Cherokee craftsmen, protected and promoted by the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, maintain their popularity as basket weavers and potters. In addition, numerous tribesmen have kept the storytelling tradition alive in the region that has also helped stay the Cherokee language.

Several cultural institutions commemorate the Cherokee's ancestors and the Indian culture of Swain County. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the Cherokee Cyclorama Wax Museum, the Cherokee Heritage Museum, and the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual attract visitors interested in Cherokee culture. In addition, the Kituwah Indian Mound illustrates the Cherokee settlement on the Tuskasegee River and Unto These Hills, a popular play performed in Cherokee, details the Cherokee experience during the Trail of Tears. Some important year-round events include the Fourth of July Freedom Fest, the Bryson City Chili Cookoff, the Bryson City Riverfest, and the Cherokee Blue Grass Festival.

In addition to the festivals in Swain County, the replicated Oconaluftee Indian Village is located in the region. Opened in August of 1952, the village is located on a small tract of land near the Mountainside Theater, and its purpose is to illustrate eighteenth century Indian life. Tourists from around North Carolina travel to watch Cherokee tribe members perform rituals and craft reproductions in the Oconaluftee Village..






Our Experience


We were initially confused and disappointed with our visit to Swain County. The current courthouse is a modern commercial building. But a quick look at an iPad confirmed there was a historic courthouse in the town. It appears the historic courthouse is now a museum and visitors center. This was a very nice looking building with great landscaping around it.

Jul 10, 2015 Fri 10:55:22 AM EDT Altitude: 1735 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Swain County Courthouse in Bryson, North Carolina
Laurie
Jul 10, 2015 Fri 10:56:49 AM EDT Altitude: 1737 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Swain County Courthouse in Bryson, North Carolina
Laurie
Jul 10, 2015 Fri 11:00:56 AM EDT Altitude: 1694 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Swain County Courthouse in Bryson, North Carolina
Laurie
Jul 10, 2015 Fri 11:01:14 AM EDT Altitude: 1694 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Swain County Courthouse in Bryson, North Carolina
Laurie



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