Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina

Oct 24, 2015 Sat0Confederate Statues

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 current Burke County Courthouse is located at 201 South Green Street, Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina and operates as the courthouse for Burke County. It was opened in 1976 to replace the Old Burke County Courthouse.

The Old Burke County Courthouse is the historic courthouse building located at 102 East Union Street, Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina. The Historic Burke County Courthouse was built in 1833-1835, and is a two storey, square stone building on a raised basement in the Classical Revival style. It features pedimented porticos on two sides and an elaborate cupola added during a remodeling in 1901.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and is located in the Morganton Downtown Historic District.






County Information


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

Burke County and North Carolina's establishment are closely connected. The last Provincial Congress of North Carolina adopted the state's constitution in November 1776, and just a few months later the first General Assembly met to establish county boundary lines among other pressing issues. On June 1, 1777, Burke County was established from parts of Rowan County, receiving its name in respect of Thomas Burke, one of North Carolina's Continental Congress representatives and governor of the state from 1781 to 1782. At its inception, the county encompassed a large portion of the western state, and subsequent state legislatures annexed Buncombe (1791), Yancey (1833), Caldwell (1841), Catawba (1842), McDowell (1842), Alexander (1847), Madison (1851), and Mitchell (1861) County from the mammoth Burke County.

Edward Smith was commissioned by the Assembly to construct the county's first court, and in 1785 Burke County's log cabin courthouse was built. However, the courthouse was relocated several times until a two-story court was formed in 1833. Some historians claim that Federal soldiers were ordered by General George Stoneman to vandalize the courthouse and burn all the documents. The courthouse was remodeled in 1901 and until 1976 the Old Burke County Courthouse was the oldest building still used for its established purpose in western North Carolina.

The first Native American tribes to inhabit the land were the Catawba and Cherokee. English, German, and Scotch-Irish settlers were the first Europeans to have permanent settlements in present-day Burke County. Most white colonists arrived in the area by traveling the Great Wagon Road during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The introduction of the Southern Railroad after the Civil War increased the population and stimulated the industrial economy of the region. Today, Burke County has a diverse agricultural and manufacturing economy. Once a substantial textile producer, Burke's principal production goods include chemicals, machine parts, and furniture. In addition, the county is one of the state's strongest forest good producers. Ornamental plants such as Christmas trees are a primary agricultural product of Burke County.

Not only do private industry and farms populate the region, but the public sector also has a large stake within the 514 square mile Burke County. The U.S. government, the State of North Carolina, and Crescent Resources (Duke Energy Corporation) are the largest landowners in Burke, and the county claims the third most substantial population of state employees in the state. The North Carolina School for the Deaf, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the Western Correctional Center, and the Broughton and Western Carolina Hospitals are the principal state institutions in Burke County. The large government concentration has earned Burke County the nickname: "The Western State Capital."

Burke County's location in the western mountains and the Catawba Valley River basin make the area a tourist attraction. Lake James, which some historians claim to be one of the last pure lakes in the Southeast, and the South Mountain State Park are both situated within the county. The Linville Gorge is the popular site for hikers, campers, and naturalists and the Blue Ridge Parkway passes through the northwestern part of the county as well. Due to the vast land area of the state parks, the federal and state government are some of the top of the landowners in Burke.

Morgansborough was the original county seat of Burke County, but in 1784 the name was shortened to Morganton. The seat is named in honor of General Daniel Morgan, a Revolutionary War hero that led troops at the Battles of Cowpens and King's Mountain. Connelly Springs, Glen Alpine, Icard, Rhodhiss, Drexel, and Hildebran are other hamlets within Burke County. The large town of Hickory, although situated in much of Catawba County, extends into the region.






Our Experience


This may be the oldest courthouse we have visited to date. It was built in 1837. The outside looked odd until we discovered it had been stuccoed in 1885. Along with the usual monuments were bronze copies of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. The jail had been made into an art gallery.

Laurie got a neat photo of a metal hat hanging on a bench in memory of some local character.

There is a story to go with the last three photos. We like to look at old buildings and wonder about their history. While looking up at the building in front of the tree Laurie was leaning on a lady drove up, got out of her car and said something to the effect of "You aren't from around here, are you?" We chuckled and Laurie told her about our Courthouse Challenge and our website and then asked about the building.

Melonie and her husband own the building and have been in it about 30 years. It was built in the 1930s and was a dentist's office. She and her husband remodeled the upper flow as a living space and rent out the lower floor to local businesses. They found teeth behind the walls during the renovation. We talked about the architecture of the building as it looked to be in great shape. She said there were a couple of decks on the roof where they watch downtown events and the building still has the original skylights with embedded chicken wire in the living area.

Melonie then asked if we wanted to look around. So we went upstairs and took a quick tour. It was a very nice modern space. Walking down the street I would have never guessed something like that existed. To respect Melonie's privacy I did not take any photos but Laurie got a photo of the skylight with chicken wire.

We chatted a little and Laurie gave her one of our coins. Melonie, if you are reading this, it was great meeting you.

Oct 24, 2015 Sat 4:55:10 PM EDT Altitude: 1178 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
Laurie
Oct 24, 2015 Sat 4:57:05 PM EDT Altitude: 1178 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
Oct 24, 2015 Sat 4:57:35 PM EDT Altitude: 1178 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
Laurie
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
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Burke County Courthouse in Morganton, North Carolina
Laurie



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