The History & Heritage of Mitchell County, NC
The Mitchell County Historical Society is committed to the preservation of the history, heritage, and culture of Mitchell County, North Carolina. We hope you enjoy your visit and stop by often for updated stories, photos, and videos.
Donate to MCHS
The Mitchell County Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your contributions help us continue our work. Please consider making an online donation by clicking the button below:
The 2019 Christmas Ornament
The 2019 Christmas OrnamentThe 2019 Mitchell County Historical Society Christmas Ornament honors this historic building, built of cast stone and designed in the Classical Revival style. which is home to the MCHS offices on the first floor. The building was designed by H.L. Lewman and was constructed by the Falls City Construction Company. The Yancey County Courthouse, built in 1905, is almost a clone of the building. It is glass and comes in a box to protect it during shipment and storage.
VISIT THE MCHS ONLINE STORE FOR DETAILS >>
Newsletter
NewsletterWant to learn more about what is taking place with the Historical Society? We release a quarterly newsletter with information on programs, events, updates on projects, and much, much more. MCHS members receive the newsletter as part of their membership early each quarter.
Take a look at our 2019 SECOND QUARTER NEWSLETTER (PDF file – opens with the free Adobe Reader software).
Scholarship Recipient Announced
Scholarship Recipient AnnouncedMCHS is pleased to announce that Macie Stafford, a 2019 graduate of MItchell High School, is the third recipient of the Inez McRae Scholarship. You can learn more about Macie and about the scholarship here.
What’s New on the Site
Here are our latest posts about Mitchell County’s history. We welcome suggestions for topics to add. Please use our contact page to submit your ideas to us!
Places
Interesting stories
North Carolina Rhododendron Festival: Roots and Twigs
The beautiful Rhododendron flower is celebrated worldwide. These celebrations include festivals in Port Logan, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Muroji, Japan; Taranaki, a bit south of New Plymouth, New Zealand: Florence, OR; Me, CA; Plymouth, MA; and tad closer to home,...
read morePeople
Significant Individuals
Harvey Miller ~ The Sage of Pigeon Roost
Harvey James Miller was known to many as Harvey J., perhaps to differentiate him from another Harvey Miller that lived at the same time. He also was known as “the Man with a Thousand Stories;” however, the label “Sage,” given by Ashton Chapman, is more appropriate for...
read moreHistory
Happenings of note
North Carolina Rhododendron Festival: Roots and Twigs
The beautiful Rhododendron flower is celebrated worldwide. These celebrations include festivals in Port Logan, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Muroji, Japan; Taranaki, a bit south of New Plymouth, New Zealand: Florence, OR; Me, CA; Plymouth, MA; and tad closer to home,...
read moreCommunities
Unique locales in Mitchell County
Mitchell County and the May Fresh of 1901
David Crockett described the flood of the Nolichucky in 1791 as “the second epistle to Noah’s fresh.” Most likely, since the Toe River feeds the Nolichucky and Cane Creek feeds the Toe River, the folks in what’s now Mitchell County also had to deal with high water....
read moreIcons
These define Mitchell County
The Historic Mitchell County Courthouse
The first Mitchell County Courthouse, built in 1869, served the county well until 1907 with the grand opening of the new Courthouse which was built on the site of the first courthouse. More than just a courtroom where justice was served, the building was a gateway to...
read moreEconomics
Making a living in Mitchell County
The “Burleson” of “Burleson Hill”
J.E. Burleson operated this mica house atop Burleson Hill, the location of the current Spruce Pine Town Cemetery. Burleson began opening mica mines in 1894 and ground mica beginning in the 1900s. He was the largest individual mica operator in the region. His...
read moreUpcoming Events
Check out the upcoming events from the Mitchell County Historical Society. Click or tap on a date that is highlighted for information on what’s happening.
| SunSunday | MonMonday | TueTuesday | WedWednesday | ThuThursday | FriFriday | SatSaturday |
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| June 30, 2019 | July 1, 2019 | July 2, 2019 | July 3, 2019 | July 4, 2019 | July 5, 2019 | July 6, 2019 |
| July 7, 2019 | July 8, 2019 | July 9, 2019 | July 10, 2019 | July 11, 2019 | July 12, 2019 | July 13, 2019 |
| July 14, 2019 | July 15, 2019 | July 16, 2019 | July 17, 2019 | July 18, 2019 | July 19, 2019 | July 20, 2019 |
| July 21, 2019 | July 22, 2019 | July 23, 2019 | July 24, 2019 | July 25, 2019 | July 26, 2019 | July 27, 2019 |
| July 28, 2019 | July 29, 2019 | July 30, 2019 | July 31, 2019 | August 1, 2019 | August 2, 2019 | August 3, 2019 |