Bakersville in Mitchell County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Mitchell County Courthouse

Photographed by Mark Parker, September 28, 2025

1. Mitchell County Courthouse Marker

Inscription. Mitchell County
Courthouse
This building is listed in the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Built 1907

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 1907.

Location. 36° 0.925′ N, 82° 9.499′ W. Marker is in Bakersville, North Carolina, in Mitchell County. It is at the intersection of North Mitchell Avenue and North Carolina Route 226, on the right when traveling west on North Mitchell Avenue. The marker is to the left of the main entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11 N Mitchell Ave, Bakersville NC 28705, 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,

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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 Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mitchell County Veterans Monument (a few steps from this marker); Asa Gray (a few steps from this marker); Honoring Mitchell County's Confederate Dead (a few steps from this marker); Mitchell County Historical Events (within shouting distance of this marker); André Michaux (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Honoring Those Who Served (approx. ¼ mile away); The Charters of Freedom (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bakersville.

Regarding Mitchell County Courthouse. Excerpts from the Mitchell County Courthouse Nomination Form #79001736

Mitchell County was formed in 1861 from Yancey, Watauga, Caldwell, Burke, and McDowell counties. Its first county seat was at Calhoun, near Spruce Pines, but it was moved to Davis in 1866. Two years later the
Photographed by Mark Parker, September 28, 2025

2. Mitchell County Courthouse Marker to the left of the main entrance
state legislature changed the name of the county seat to Bakersville, and the first permanent courthouse, of brick, was built there.

In 1907 a new building replaced the old one. The stuccoed concrete block structure was in the Neo-Renaissance style, and it is a replica of the Yancey County Courthouse which was being built at the same time in Burnsville. The courthouse was renovated in the 1960s.

Also see . . .
1. Mitchell County Courthouse Nomination Form (pdf). Form prepared in 1979. (Submitted on October 1, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

2. Courthouses in North Carolina thematic Nomination Form. Form prepared by Mary Ann Lee, Survey Consultant, North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1979

The Mitchell County Courthouse, erected in 1907, is located on the corner of Bakersville's main street. Designed in the early Neo-Classical Revival style, the building exhibits a vernacular adaptation of classical forms typical of the era. The blocky cupola, central pediment and symmetrical composition are popular features of Neo-Classical Revival courthouses, but the Mitchell County Courthouse
Photographed by Mark Parker, September 28, 2025

3. Full view Historic Mitchell County Courthouse
does not exhibit the sophistication of classical proportion and ornament typical of public buildings of the 1910s and 1920s. The former Yancey County Courthouse, 1908, is remarkably similar to the Mitchell County Courthouse.

(Submitted on October 1, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

3. The Historic Mitchell County Courthouse. Posted by the Mitchell County Historical Society

Over the years, the bell in the familiar cupola called people to court. It also was rung to celebrate many a New Year’s Day as well as the end of the First and Second World Wars. It was used by the Town of Bakersville to call residents to fight fires, including the night in 1922 when much of the town was destroyed and the Courthouse itself was in danger.

Music groups including Arthur Smith, Bill Monroe, and Roy Acuff played and sang for appreciative audiences in the only space in the area that could accommodate the shows. The Methodist Church South congregation used the courtroom in the mid 1920’s while their new church building was constructed following damage to the first church during the May 1901 flood.

(Submitted on October 1, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

Mitchell County Courthouse cupola with the rhododendron leaf in the center. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, September 28, 2025

4. Mitchell County Courthouse cupola with the rhododendron leaf in the center.

Bakersville hosts the North Carolina Rhododendron Festival each June.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 50 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 1, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.