NOTICE: The MCHS Office has re-opened.
Visitors are welcome to stop by our office, but we would appreciate a phone call (828-688-4371) before your visit.
Social distancing and other suggested measures by the State of North Carolina are in effect.
Office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.
The Corona Times
MCHS Documents the
Corona Virus Pandemic
Inez McRae
Memorial Scholarship
Emma Carpenter is the
2020 recipient.
Vendor Applications
Now Being Taken
SAVE THE DATE: October 17, 2020
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, which means your donations are tex-deductible under the limitations of tax law. Your contributions help us continue our work.
Please consider making an online donation by clicking the button below.
Penland Cemetery Project
MCHS is seeking help with an important project we have undertaken. The historic Penland Cemetery in Bakersville has suffered from years of neglect, with vandals overturning tombstones and the plot becoming grown-over with trees and underbrush. We have begun efforts to repair the road to the cemetery and restore it so visitors and researchers have easy access. Learn more about the Penland Cemetery project and how you can help..
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.
MCHS Membership & Newsletter
Big changes are coming soon for members of the Mitchell County Historical Society in 2020
Discounts on merchandise purchased from the MCHS store are but one of the many goodies for members of MCHS. In fact, we have a preview of one of the new features available right now: our redesigned newsletter, 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 2020 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!
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,...
People
Significant Individuals
Garrett Forbes – Tiller of the Land
Garrett B. Forbes was born in 1904 in the Tiger Creek section of Carter County, TN. His parents, James Harrison and Mary Vista Moffitt Forbes, moved their family to Mitchell County when Garrett was two. He had older sisters Pearl Forbes Yelton and Bertha Forbes...
History
Happenings of note
Dr. Virgil Roscoe Butt, MD and Family
First, a word about the Butt surname. Some researchers have traced the first Butt settlers in America to Dutch origin, with the name spelled Butz. However, in a reliable source entitled Names through the Ages, the name is seen as English, derived from Butler, meaning...
Communities
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....
Icons
These define Mitchell County
Mrs. Ruby Sisk Gouge
Ruby Juanita Sisk was born December 18, 1898 in Franklin, North Carolina to Ray Dean and Emma Lou Guy Sisk. Her father was a successful attorney, state senator, and highly respected community citizen.She was an honor graduate from Woman’s College, UNC, which is now...
Economics
Making a living in Mitchell County
Spruce Pine’s Gunter Building
The structure known as the Gunter Building, on the corner of Oak Avenue and Topaz Street, was erected about 1941; Spruce Pine was in the midst of a commercial boom based on the mining industry, which had greatly expanded in the first 2 decades of the 20th century and...
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 |
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| June 28, 2020 | June 29, 2020 | June 30, 2020 | July 1, 2020 | July 2, 2020 | July 3, 2020 | July 4, 2020 |
| July 5, 2020 | July 6, 2020 | July 7, 2020 | July 8, 2020 | July 9, 2020 | July 10, 2020 | July 11, 2020 |
| July 12, 2020 | July 13, 2020 | July 14, 2020 | July 15, 2020 | July 16, 2020 | July 17, 2020 | July 18, 2020 |
| July 19, 2020 | July 20, 2020 | July 21, 2020 | July 22, 2020 | July 23, 2020 | July 24, 2020 | July 25, 2020 |
| July 26, 2020 | July 27, 2020 | July 28, 2020 | July 29, 2020 | July 30, 2020 | July 31, 2020 | August 1, 2020 |