Murphy in Cherokee County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery
Warren LeMay via Flickr/Public domain, January 8, 2019
1. Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery Marker
the National Register of Historic Places
by the
U.S. Department of the Interior
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.
Location. 35° 5.126′ N, 84° 2.015′ W. Marker is in Murphy, North Carolina, in Cherokee County. It is at the intersection of Church Street and Sneed Road, on the right when traveling south on Church Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 150 Church St, Murphy NC 28906, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Nuya Saligugi (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Water Powered 500 Pound Hammer (about 500 feet away); Millstone from Thomas C. Thatham Mill (about 500 feet away); Cherokee Heritage Trails (about 500 feet away); Prison Cell Door (about 500 feet away); Unicoi Turnpike Trail (about 500 feet away); Tsali (about 500 feet away); In Memory of the Servicemen of Cherokee County (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murphy.
Regarding Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:
Harshaw Chapel is a small vernacular Greek Revival brick church built during the 1860s for the first Methodist congregation in Murphy, North Carolina. The church building was donated by Joshua Harshaw, a prominent early settler in the county. The site of the church and surrounding cemetery had been donated by Harshaw in 1844, land he had purchased six years previously in the Indian land sales. The small church was replaced by the congregation in the 1920s, and its subsequent survivalis remarkable in that it has received little use since. It is the oldest church building in Cherokee County, and is the oldest structure surviving relatively intact in Murphy. Harshaw Chapel is also the sole surviving example of mid-nineteenth century brick architecture in the county. The church is surrounded by a cemetery, containing the graves of many locally prominent citizens and a collection of notable Victorian grave markers. Among the graves is that of Abram Enloe, subject of a North Carolina folk tradition concerning the parentage of Abraham Lincoln.Warren LeMay via Flickr/Public domain, January 8, 20192. Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery Marker
Also see . . .
1. The Curious Paternity of Abraham Lincoln (PDF). Docslib website entry:
(Great Smoky Mountains Colloquy, The University of Tennessee Libraries, Spring 2008 edition):
The confusion over Honest Abe's father all began with an anonymously written article that appeared in The Charlotte Observer in 1893 and snowballed from there. (Submitted on December 5, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Harshaw Chapel. Murphy First United Methodist Church website entry:
Background on the church and the man who donated it.
Warren LeMay via Flickr/Public domain, January 8, 2019
3. Harshaw Chapel cornerstone
It reads:
I, Joshua Harsaw,
do make a free will gift of this house
to the Methodist Episcopal Church South
at Murphy N.C.
this May 1, 1869.
do make a free will gift of this house
to the Methodist Episcopal Church South
at Murphy N.C.
this May 1, 1869.
3. Harshaw Chapel. Part of the Historic Audio Tours of Murphy
The Harshaw Chapel stands today as Murphy's oldest intact structure and the county's oldest remaining church building.(Submitted on June 1, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Records indicate that construction of the simple Greek revival church began in 1857 when the first corner stone was set. It was completed around 1869 when it was dedicated to the Methodist Episcopal Church South by Joshua Harshaw.
4. Harshaw Cemetery. Part of the Audio Tours of Murphy, NC
Cemeteries can tell the history of an area and often these stories are filled with mystery, legend and lore. The cemetery here at the Harshaw Chapel is no exception.(Submitted on June 1, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
This cemetery is as old as Murphy itself. The names inscribed on the gravestones represent the families and individuals of Murphy's earliest pioneers.
The oldest grave here, that of Nancy Crump Hayes, dates back to 1840. The nearby town of Hayesville was named after her husband, confederate Captain George WashingtonHayes.via NPS, unknown4. Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery Marker
Photographed by Mark Parker, May 28, 2026
5. Harshaw Chapel (side view) and Cemetery
Photographed by Mark Parker, May 28, 2026
6. Harshaw Chapel interior through the front window
Photographed by Mark Parker, May 28, 2026
7. Harshaw Chapel Cemetery overlooking Murphy, NC
Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 954 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 5, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on December 23, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 5, 6, 7. submitted on May 31, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.
