2021 Apple Butter Festival
October 9 is the date.
Mark your calendars!
See Our Videos!
MCHS has a collection of videos of our programs and other events available online for all to see. They are cataloged by the year they were recorded. Stop in and learn some things you may not have known!
MCHS Membership & Newsletter
Please consider becoming a member of the Mitchell County Historical Society.
Discounts on merchandise purchased from the MCHS store are but one of the many goodies for members of MCHS. Here is a preview of the newsletter members receive, the Quarterly Review. Download a copy (PDF file – opens with the free Adobe Reader software) and see what members will be receiving beginning in the new year. Plus, you will get advance notice (and input) on our presentation series, opportunities to volunteer to help preserve our history, and access to online resources to research topics and genealogy in our office located in the Historic Mitchell County Courthouse.
Not a member? Join today!
The 2020
Christmas Ornament
The 2020 Mitchell County Historical Society Christmas Ornament honors the Good Will Free Library, constructed by Dr. Charles H. Wing who retired to Mitchell County after a distinguished academic career. He made it his mission to bring education to residents, providing vocational training and opening a library filled with many of his own books that he loaned throughout the county. It was during its time the largest public library in North Carolina.
The Corona Times
MCHS Documents the
Corona Virus Pandemic
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.
What’s New on the Site
Here are our latest posts about Mitchell County’s history. We welcome suggestions for topics. Please contact us to submit your ideas!
Places
Interesting stories
November Rain: Remembering the Flood of 1977
On November 6, 1977, the mountains of North Carolina saw one of the worst natural disasters to hit the area in nearly sixty-one years. On Friday, the 4th, heavy rain began to...
Silent Witness – The Mitchell County Courthouse Ghost
The Historic Mitchell County Courthouse has been a landmark in Bakersville since 1907. For over one hundred years, the courthouse has served the community in many different...
George Rufus Dale Built an Ideal Community
On June 17, 1940, an article appeared in the Asheville Citizen entitled “Mitchell County Farmer Uses Own Family to Build an Ideal Community.” The piece, written by Mrs. Romulus...
People
Significant Individuals
Roy Williams: Western North Carolina Legend
The legendary basketball coach announced his retirement on April 1, after 48 years of coaching. Roy Williams was born on August 1, 1950. His family lived in Spruce Pine at the...
Early Medical Practice In Bakersville
Early Medical Practice in Bakersville Over 40 physicians, 25 of whom served Bakersville and the northern end of the county, have been identified as having practiced in Mitchell...
Mary Whitson Byrd, “Mountain Gal”
Mary Elizabeth Whitson Byrd was born 11-27-1882 in Tipton Hill, and except for 2 years, she lived in that Mitchell County community her entire life. She was the daughter of...
History
Happenings of note
Cleaning Our Toes
According to the Cherokee, a river is referred to as the Long Man with his head in the mountains and his feet in the sea. The North Toe River’s head is at Sugar Gap in the...
Tragedy at Berry Gap
The coming of the Clinchfield Railroad to the region in the early 1900s was a boon for the area and opened up the isolated mountain region to the outside world. The building of...
J.J. Britt: Defender of Freedom
On 19 October 1899, J.J. Britt, presiding over the North Carolina Republican Party meeting in Statesville opposing the suffrage amendment, the Campaign for Freedom In North...
Communities
Unique locales in Mitchell County
Estatoe
This Mitchell County community in southern Mitchell County lies along Brushy Creek. The name comes from an Indian Princess who fell in love with a brave from a rival tribe....
Roan Mountain
Mitchell County’s most famous mountain straddles the Tennessee border at an elevation of 6,200 feet above sea level. It was probably named for its roan color when seen from a...
Penland
This world-renown community in southern Mitchell County, is famous for it’s School of Handicrafts. At an elevation of 2,462 feet, it was named for Milton Penland, pioneer settler...
Icons
These define Mitchell County
Robert G. Young Was an Educator of Merit
Robert George Young was born 6/19/1926 in Mitchell County, the son of Frank B. Young (1894-1986) and Isabella Wilson Young (1897-1982). His great- grandfather was Greenberry...
W.G. Honeycutt – A Mitchell County Hero
Veterans Day is a holiday created to celebrate our real-life heroes. When we think of heroes, they often seem larger than life and we tend to forget they are real people. One...
James Oliver Young: World War II and Christian Hero
James Oliver Young was born to William Patrick Henry and Dora Sina Buchanan Young 31 August 1910 in the Clarissa community on Cane Creek. His siblings included Ethel Eve, Robert...
Economics
Making a living in Mitchell County
Mitchell County’s Mica Mine Murders
Waightstill Avery Anderson was a Mitchell County revenue officer. Anderson married Nora Bowman, the daughter of J.W. Bowman and Mary Garland. Anderson had the reputation as a man...
Thomas Greene: Soldier, Miner, Philanthropist
In 1870, the Mitchell County census listed three people as miners by profession or occupation. The 1880 census lists 81 people as being associated with mines and mining. At the...
Brad Ragan ~ Spruce Pine’s “hard-driving, cigar-chomping businessman.”
Bradley Eugene Ragan was born 14 May 1915 in Coleman, Georgia, the son of W.E. and Lillian Brown Ragan. Ragan was the founder and Chairman of the Board of Brad Ragan, Inc.,...
Upcoming 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 29, 2021 | August 30, 2021 | August 31, 2021 | September 1, 2021 | September 2, 2021 | September 3, 2021 | September 4, 2021 |
| September 5, 2021 | September 6, 2021 | September 7, 2021 | September 8, 2021 | September 9, 2021 | September 10, 2021 | September 11, 2021 |
| September 12, 2021 | September 13, 2021 | September 14, 2021 | September 15, 2021 | September 16, 2021 | September 17, 2021 | September 18, 2021 |
| September 19, 2021 | September 20, 2021 | September 21, 2021 | September 22, 2021 | September 23, 2021 | September 24, 2021 | September 25, 2021 |
| September 26, 2021 | September 27, 2021 | September 28, 2021 | September 29, 2021 | September 30, 2021 | October 1, 2021 | October 2, 2021 |