Burnsville in Yancey County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Yancey County Courthouse
Photographed by Mark Parker, September 28, 2025
1. Yancey County Courthouse Marker
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Erected by United States Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.
Location. 35° 55.025′ N, 82° 18.03′ W. Marker is in Burnsville, North Carolina, in Yancey County. It is at the intersection of West Main Street and Court Street, on the right when traveling east on West Main Street. The marker is located to the right of the West Main Street entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 Town Square, Burnsville NC 28714, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s and he Mountains in the High Country. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Citizens Bank Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Otway Burns Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); John "Yellowjacket John" Bailey (within shouting distance of this marker); Yancey Collegiate Institute (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Burnsville (about 300 feet away); Nu Wray Inn (about 300 feet away); John Wesley McElroy House (about 300 feet away); Yancey County War Memorial (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Burnsville.
Regarding Yancey County Courthouse. Originally built to house Yancey County Courthouse, the building is now Burnsville Town Hall. Excerpt Yancey County Courthouse Nomination Form:
In 1833 an act of the state legislature created Yancey County from Burke and Buncombe, and the following year the first county court was held in Cane River Church. The clerk ofcourt was the first man convicted of a crime in the county. In April, 1834, Burnsville became the county seat and a temporary wooden structure was built to serve as the county headquarters until the first permanent courthouse was constructed of brick in 1836.Photographed by Mark Parker, September 28, 20252. Burnsville Town Hall
In 1907 Workman demolished the building and converted the site into a "shady grass square". Work began on a new courthouse which was completed in 1908. Because of the difficulty of transporting building supplies in the mountains, many of the materials of the old structure were used in the new two-story concrete block building. All the old bricks were used, and the concrete for the molded bricks is said to have been "pulverized by hand." One authority on the courthouse has described conditions in the courtroom when court was in session:
... the clamour was so loud that testimony could hardly be heard. The reek of chewing tobacco and whiskey, seasoned in the early spring with that of fresh ramps, and intensified in the winter when a little wood stove glowed red hot and the temperature in the unventilated room grew stifling hot was disconcerting and offensive to the tender sensitivities of young lawyers whose circuits included Burnsville.
According to local tradition North Carolina author, Thomas Wolfe, once testified in the Yancey County Courthouse about a street shooting he supposedly witnessed while visiting Burnsville. The 1908 structure was replaced by a new building in 1965.
Also see . . . Yancey County Courthouse Nomination Form (pdf). Form prepared in May 1979 (Submitted on September 30, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 69 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 30, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
