1. Museum Entrance Welcome to the Museum of Burke County
Curator’s
Offices
Folklore
Museum Entrance
People
Places
Communities
Highlights in History
Curators’ Office

2. Curator’s Office The Burke County History Virtual Museum
Virtual Museums Elementary Technology Workshop
June 21, 2011
Presenters/Facilitators: Ashlyn DeWitt, Angela Bradshaw, Debbie Kiracofe
The Burke County History Virtual Museum was developed by 2 groups of Burke County Public Schools teachers during 3 hour workshops. As they learned how to build a virtual museum using MS PowerPoint, the teachers collaboratively researched Burke County History and built the museum.
Teachers then developed lesson plans and ideas which incorporate virtual museums into their curriculum.
The museum will be posted on the BCPS website as a resource for 4th grade students as they study Burke County.
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This template was designed by Dr. Christy Keeler. View the Educational Virtual Museums website for more information on this instructional technique.

3. Room 1 Communities – Room 1 Curators Communities Room 2 Return to
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4. Jamie Ward ; Crystal Stephens ; Ana Hollifield
Curator’s Office
Exhibit Curators:
Jamie Ward ; Crystal Stephens ; Ana Hollifield
Sources:
John's River Near Chesterfield, NC Web. 21 June <
Drexel Furniture Compary in Ashville Guidbook. Web. 21 June <
Camp, Cordelia. Sketches of Burke County ,19,21. Print.
Conley, Mike. "Town names immortalize early residents of Burke." News Herald 16 May 2010, Sunday: E30. Print.
Treiber, Kyle. Burke County History at a Glance. Burke County: Print
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5. Hildebran Hildebran Community
The Hildebran community began as a sawmill and country store owned by Y. A. Sigmund in Later the store was purchased by Jack Hildebran who changed the communities name. Quickly the community grew as Adderholdt set up a cotton yarn manufacturing company, a post office was established, John W. Beach opened a private school and a Lutheran church was founded.
Hildebran was a hub of the surrounding community and even had the ability to ship and receive near the Henry River via the railroad. The business section in the village included six grocery stores, a hardware store, drug store, a shoe shop and a school that employed three teachers with Daisy Trexler as the director.
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6. Rutherford College Rutherford College
Rutherford College was named after John Rutherford. Mr. Rutherford gave land to Robert Abernathy in 1958 to open a school. The school was named Rutherford Academy. This was Burk County’s first college near present- day Valdese. In 1863 the college name was changed to Rutherford Seminary. Later, in 1870 the school became a four year college and the name was changed to Rutherford College. In 1891 the academy was destroyed by fire but rebuilt and reopened in The Methodist Church closed the school in 1933 and the name Rutherford College was given to the town.
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7. Drexel Drexel Community Return to Exhibit
First established as Baker community after the postmaster, in 1899 Samuel Huffman and D.B. Mull purchased land to set up a sawmill. A planing mill was added later.
W.D. Shuping was the first resident in the small village. Among the names offered for the community was Drexel which was a wealthy family in Philadelphia who owned stock in the railroad.
Drexel was the home of the Drexel Furniture Company which was “The World’s largest manufacturer of quality bedroom and dining room furniture.” It began in 1906 and by 1920 employed over four hundred men. The company expanded into three separate plants and in 1932 a plant was established in Morganton and several years later even in Marion. The Drexel plants in Drexel and Morganton have all been closed. Drexel was incorporated in 1913.
Drexel Furniture Compary in Ashville Guidbook. Web. 21 June <
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8. Chesterfield Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a small community located in Burke County. Originally it was named Hoodsville after J. C. Hood, the post master. Later, it was changed to Chesterfield after the Post master, John Chester. Interestingly enough, in the year 1896 there were only twenty-five people that resided in Chesterfield.
John's River Near Chesterfield, NC Web. 21 June <
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9. People of Burke County – Room 1
Curators
People
Room 2
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10. Patty James, Kay Duckworth, Wendy Syers, Teresa Dale, Rhonda Burgess
Curator’s Office
Exhibit Curators:
Patty James, Kay Duckworth, Wendy Syers, Teresa Dale, Rhonda Burgess
Citations List
"Beatrice Cobb: A true giant in Carolinas' journalism." The News-Herald [Morganton, NC] 7 Mar. 1986: Print.
Boykin, Brianne. "Beatrice Cobb." The News-Herald. Web. 21 June <
Treiber, Kyle. Burke County: History at a Glance. Print.
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11. General Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan was born in 1736 near Junction, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. He received no formal education and began his military career at an early age fighting in the French and Indian War. In 1775 he became a Captain in the Continental Army and joined forces with George Washington. In January of 1781 Burke militiamen led by Major Joseph McDowell and under the command of General Morgan helped defeat British forces at Cowpens, SC. The town of Morganton, NC, originally named Morgansborough, was named in honor of Morgan. He died in Winchester, VA on July 6, 1802.
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12. Waightstill Avery
Waightstill Avery was born in Groton, Connecticut, on May 10, As a result of a malaria outbreak in the eastern part of the state, Avery relocated his family to Morgan District, later renamed Morganton. Avery participated in writing North Carolina’s constitution in 1776, and he was the first Attorney General in Avery and Andrew Jackson had a dispute over the law as stated in “Bacon’s Abridgement.” Avery issued a challenge to Jackson to duel which he accepted. Both men fired in the air one version of the story states that Avery’s ear was clipped. Both men became the best of friends after the duel. When he was 48 years old, he was thrown from his horse and sustained a fatal leg injury. He died in the judges chambers of the Burke County Courthouse on September 30, 1819.
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13. Beatrice Cobb
Beatrice Cobb became the editor of The News-Herald after the death of her father with her leadership, the paper grew from a weekly to a daily newspaper.
Throughout her years as editor of the News-Herald, Miss Cobb supported many local projects that are very much in evidence today. They are: Highway 181, Morganton Community House and Christmas Cheer.
Miss Cobb was the first woman inducted into the North Carolina School of Journalism Hall of Fame where she joined many other famous journalists.
Due to her generosity, many local and state organizations benefit from the interest on her estate’s assets each year.
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14. Native Americans
Native Americans were in North Carolina thousands of years before the English came in We can learn about their lives from remnants of pottery, arrowheads, and jewelry excavated in Burke County.
Two tribes, the Cherokee and Catawba, lived in western North Carolina. The tribes were enemies. The Catawba eventually moved further east. The Cherokee are remembered for developing the first Native American alphabet. In the winter of 1838, the Cherokee people were forced to walk to a new place to live on a reservation in Oklahoma.
Today in Burke County, archaeologists and enthusiasts excavate the remains of their culture.
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15. Folklore
Room 1
Curators
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16. Curator’s Office Exhibit Curators:
Mike Alexander, Renee’ Bailey, Hillary Webb, Johanna Hise and Kate Hughes
Sources:
Boykin, Brianne E. "Duel almost changed our nation's History." Burke Believe It or Not, The News Herald 27 Mar. 2005: 10. Print.
Hendry Derald E. “ Famous Burke Personalities.” Burke County Facts and Folklore
Kincaid, Elizabeth, and Fred Cranford. Spotlight on Burke County. Morganton, NC: Print.
McFalls, Kerri L. “Haunting more than just a ghost of a chance.” Burke Believe It or Not 27 Mar. 2006: 30,32.
Mull, Alex J. Tales of Old Burke. Morganton, NC: News Herald Press , Print.
Tomberlin, Jason. “Frankie Silver Hanged.” This Month In North Carolina History July 2004
"The Brown Mountain Lights." Web. 21 June <
Treiber, Kyle. Burke County History at a Glance. Morganton, NC: Print.
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17. Frankie Silver Return to Exhibit
Frankie Silver was born in Morganton, North Carolina between to Isaiah and Barbara Stewart. The legend of Frankie Silvers continues to be a mystery after 170 years. Some believe she was seeking revenge on her husband Charlie while others believe that she killed him in self defense.
The legend is that Frankie killed Charles with an axe one night in his sleep. She chopped his body into pieces and then burned them in the fire place in hopes to hide her crime. A few days later she announced him missing and a search revealed pieces of his bones and blood was found in the home. Frankie was immediately arrested and was tried for Charlie’s murder. On May 29, 1832 by an unanimous vote Frankie was found guilty and was sentenced to be hanged on June 28, With the help of her family she escaped from jail and disguised herself as a man. She was captured and eventually hung on July 12, 1833 in Morganton, North Carolina. Frankie Silver is known as the first woman hung in North Carolina. The words “Only woman ever hanged in Burke County” can be
seen etched on her grave stone located near the Devault Farm in the Oak Hill area.
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18. Magnolia House
John Henry Stevely came to Burke County in the early 1800’s. He purchased a 1000 acre plantation on “Morgan Hill”. In 1820 the plantation home became known as the Magnolia House. The legend is that the Magnolia House is haunted. If you visit this house you might experience an unexplained knock at the door, a woman in a white dress watching you sleep, or objects being paranormally moved. Present owner Marsha Riddle states that she and her husband share their home with the spirits of those people who occupied the mansion before them. “My spirits are spirits of the past homeowners who love and care about the place,” said Marsha Riddle. Some people may think the owners are exaggerating but there are many unexplained incidents that have happened to not only them but their guests as well. Who is ready for an adventurous sleep over?
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19. Brown Mountain Lights http://www.ibiblio.org/ghosts/bmtn.html
Brown Mountain is located north of Morganton off Highway 181 in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. It is only 2,600 feet high in elevation. However, it is famous for it’s mysterious lights that hover over it during the night. These unexplained lights have attracted many peoples attention all over North Carolina and the nation. The Brown Mountain lights are described as lights twice the size of a star and they are sometimes reddish, orange and blue. They can be seen at a distance but as one climbs the mountain they disappear. The stories about these lights have been dated as far back as the 1200’s to the Cherokee Indians. According to the legend a great battle was fought here between the Cherokee and Catawba Indians. The lights were the torches of Indian maidens looking for their dead husbands. Also, there has been two other scientific investigations conducted by the US Geological Survey in They concluded the lights were reflections from locomotives. However, in 1916 a flood washed out the railroad bridges and the lights still continued to shine so the theory of locomotive and automobile headlights could not be true. Another scientist theory was "The mountains emit nitrous vapors which are borne by the wind and when laden winds meet each other the niter inflames, sulphurates and deteriorates," said de Brahm. De Brahm was a scientific man and, of course, had a scientific explanation.” Today the league of Energy Materialization and the Unexplained Phenomena Research is studying the mystery, They are located in Asheville , NC using new techniques to document and perhaps to explain the lights.
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20. Avery-Jackson Duel Return to Exhibit
In August 1788, two men met outside a courthouse in Jonesboro, Tennessee for a duel. The two men were both lawyers. One was Waightstill Avery, age 47 and the other was Andrew Jackson, age 21. Although there is much controversy over what led to the duel most people would agree that Avery was getting the most of Jackson in the courtroom. Most would also agree that the law book “Bacon’s Abridgment” played a part in the duel. One version has it that Avery was extensively quoting from the book when Jackson interrupted and accused him of accepting illegal fees. In essence, Jackson was questioning Avery’s ethics. Avery then called Jackson a liar and the duel challenge was issued by Jackson. The other version is that Jackson was the one who was quoting from the book and would hold it up for the jury to see, but at some point Avery had replaced the book with a real slab of bacon. When Jackson held up the book for the jury to see he actually held up a slab of bacon. Well, of course, Jackson was humiliated and felt as though his honor had been violated. He then issued the challenge to Avery who reluctantly agreed to the duel. Neither man was killed in the duel. Jackson fired first just grazing Avery’s ear. He then stood there with his gun by his side, waiting for Avery to fire his gun. Instead, allegedly, Avery fired his gun into the air. He then walked over to the future President of the United States and shook his hand.
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21. Places In Burke County – Room 1
Curators
Places
Room 2
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22. Karen Auton, Cindy Pendelton, Debbie Childers
Curator’s Office
Exhibit Curators:
Karen Auton, Cindy Pendelton, Debbie Childers
Sources:
Moose, Cheryl E. "The McDowell House at Quaker Meadows." Sunday News Herald [Morganton, NC] 2 May 1999: c. Print.
"Quaker Meadows Home of Charles McDowell Jr. Built 1812." Brochure Historic Burke Foundation [Morganton, NC] : c. Print.
Riddle, Jan R. "Broughton Hospital." [Morganton, NC] Jan. 2000: Print
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23. Broughton Hospital Return to Exhibit
Broughton Hospital is the largest psychiatric hospital and second oldest in North Carolina. It was built on 263 acres in south Morganton after the state provided $75, 000 to begin the project in It was first named Western North Carolina Insane Asylum in 1890, but was later renamed in honor of former Governor J. Melville Broughton.
In the hospital’s early days, the male patients worked the grounds of the hospital planting flowers, attending to livestock on the property, and even built a road from the hospital to Morganton. Later a “Colony Treatment Program” was adopted in which small houses were built for patients to live in as a small group in a more home-like setting, rather than a hospital setting. In the late 1920’s hospital administrators began to move away from this philosophy of treatment.
Today the hospital serves 37 of the 100 counties in North Carolina and treats approximately 4100 patients each year. It is now made up of five divisions: Adult Admissions, Medical, Geropsychiatry, Psychiatric Rehabilitation, and Youth. This 263 acre hospital in Burke County employs more than 1300 people, serves over 11,000 meals each week, and houses 571 patients at any given time.
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24. Fort San Juan
Volunteers and students work with professional archaeologists to excavate the forgotten past at the Berry site near Morganton, North Carolina. Here, archaeologists have discovered the location of a Native America settlement of Joara where Spaniard Juan Pardo built Fort San Juan in 1567.
Fort San Juan was one of six forts built on the coast of South Carolina and the mountains to the east of Tennessee twenty years before the English landed on Roanoke Island and the “Lost Colony” was established. Unfortunately, less than two years later, all these forts, as well as Spanish dreams, were destroyed for the conquest of North America.
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25. Linville Gorge
Linville Gorge, North Carolina’s Grand Canyon, has been called a wild area since By 1964, this area became one of the initial components of the National Wilderness System. Initially 7,575 acres completed this wilderness area, but was increased in 1984 to the present 12,002 acres. The towering walls of the Linville Gorge surround the Linville River for twelve miles. At the rim of the Gorge, elevations reach as much as 3,400 feet and dwindle to 2,000 feet on the Linville River.
Plant and animal life is abundant in the wilderness of Linville Gorge. The deep coves are home to five species of rare plants, several kinds of rhododendron, and forests. Terrain in this area makes development of this area difficult, and is also now prohibited due to the wilderness designation. The gorge is a rugged area lending visitors a nice location to camp, hike, and fish. Permits are needed during certain times of the year for these activities.
Visitors are highly recommended to visit the Linville Falls Visitor Center and enjoy great tales and delicious peppermints given out by the park rangers. Treat the area with respect and have a great adventure!
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26. Quaker Meadows (McDowell House)
In 1750, Joseph McDowell had claimed land and had settled there in Later, in 1780, it was on this property that two of Joseph’s sons had gathered the Overmountain Men under a giant oak tree which became known as “Council Oak”. It was under this tree that plans were laid which led to the defeat of the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain. This was the turning point of the war in the south. This event is commemorated by the Overmountain Men Re-enactors each September 3-th at the home.
Later in history, in the early 1800’s, Captain Charles McDowell Jr. was about to be married within a year to his cousin Ann McDowell and in anticipation of this event in 1812, Charles built Quaker Meadows on the land that was originally claimed by his grandfather Joseph. The name, Quaker Meadows is thought to have come from the camp of a Quaker trapper who traded with Indians along the Catawba river. This property became a thriving plantation of over 1500 acres tended to by 52 slaves. Ann and Charles had six children and three relatives who were orphaned. The home was the center of social activity in Burke County. Both Charles and Ann passed away in 1859 and their only son was killed in the Civil War. In 1986, the land and home was donated to Historic Burke Foundation. The home has been restored to how it appeared in Quaker Meadows is the oldest surviving house in Burke County. Quaker Meadows is located on St. Mary’s Church Road of Hwy 181.
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27. Highlights in Our History- Room 1
Curators
History
Room 2
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28. Curator’s Office
Exhibit Curators: Erin Wolfhope, Erin Wall, Donna Wells,
Whitney Anderson, Michelle Greene
Sources:
Kincaid, Elizabeth, and Fred Cranford. "Gold Discovered." Spotlight on Burke. (1971): Print.
Treiber, Kyle. Burke County History at a Glance. Print.
Historic Burke Foundation. A Town with Tradition; Morganton’s Historic Sites and Districts. [Brochure].
Earthen Dams Formed Lake James; War, flu epidemic slowed construction." News Herald . 10 June 1980: 12. Print.
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29. The Gold Rush
In 1928 Samuel Martin was walking through Burke County and stopped at Bob Anderson’s house to have his shoes repaired. Martin walked around the cabin thinking of how he’d pay for the shoe repair because he had no money. A yellow jacket stung him and as he swatted at it his knuckles hit the corner of the log cabin. To his surprise his hand had struck gold (found in the clay between the logs on the cabin). Both men agreed that Mr. Martin would stay for six months to teach Mr. Anderson how to mine for gold. Mr. Martin left Burke County in a two-horse wagon with $20,000 in gold. This was the beginning of one of the first gold rushes in the United States.
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30. Construction of Lake James
Lake James, named for James B. Duke was created by confining the waters of the Catawba River, the Linville River, and Paddy’s Creek. Construction on Lake James began in 1916 and was completed in 1923 by Southern Power Company (Duke Power) with the hydroelectric powerhouse located at the Linville River Dam. At the time, Lake James was created by largest earthen dams on record. The construction process encountered many delays due to the flood of 1916, World War I, and a deadly influenza epidemic. Lake James has a surface area of 6,510 acres as well as a 150 mile shoreline. The waters of the Lake James covered the Fonta Flora and Gibbs communities.
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31. Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War took place during the years of Burke County was still a wilderness during that time. The small frontier settlements were not affected as much as the larger towns to the east. Burke County provided David Vance, Colonel Chris Beekman, and the McDowell brothers as important leaders in the Continental Army.
A group of patriots known as the Over the Mountain Men assembled in Tennessee and traveled to Burke County and met with troops from the area at Quaker Meadows. They finalized their attack plans at a large oak tree known as the Council Oak. This tree is located on the corner of A.J.’s Steakhouse property.
In 1781 Major Joseph McDowell, under the command of Daniel Morgan, defeated British troops at Cowpens, South Carolina. This victory along with the Kings Mountain victory led to the surrender of Cornwallis to George Washington. The city of Morganton was named Morgansborough in 1784 after Daniel Morgan.
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32. Highlights in History (room 2)
Curators
History
Room 1
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33. Ginger Stinson, Brandi Young
Curator’s Office
Ginger Stinson, Brandi Young
"Boy Train-Wrecker, Aged 6, Sentenced to Have Tonsils Removed." Hearst's Sunday American [Atlanta, GA] 7 June 1931: Print.
Kincaid, Elizabeth, and Fred Cranford. Spotlight on Burke. Morganton, NC: Print.
Photos courtesy of The News Herald.
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34. 1916 Flood Return to Exhibit
On the morning of July 5, 1916 there was a tropical hurricane that swept out of the Gulf of Mexico. The storm reached North Carolina three days later. For three days, western North Carolina had continuous heavy rains. In Burke County, John’s River rose twelve feet and the Catawba River rose sixteen feet. It took five days before the water returned to the streams.
Another storm hit a week later, first striking the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Within 24 hours, the storm hit Burke County in full force. Nearly two feet of rain fell within a 24 hour period. That’s almost an inch per hour. This was the largest one day’s rainfall recorded in the United States to that date. There was nowhere for the rain from the second storm to go so a second flood resulted. Rushing masses of raging waters covered Burke County. The floodwaters destroyed homes, barns, and bridges.
Some families refused to leave their homes, but with rising flood waters they soon became trapped. A boat was built during the night while generators were used to provide electrical power to rescue these families. Only one person could be rescued at a time so multiple trips had to be made. This was definitely a storm to remember.
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35. Drexel Train Wreck Return to Exhibit
Six year old Charlie Whitener placed three rocks on the railroad tracks. One would think this was just a boy having innocent fun, but Charlie said, “I wanted to wreck the train and I didn’t care if some people were killed.” Imagine three rocks resulting in a train crash.
On April 23, 1931 Train #21 was traveling 60 miles per hour from Washington to the south. The engineer did not see the pile of rocks on the tracks (or Charlie standing behind a fence laughing and clapping). Once the engine hit the rocks, it derailed and flipped over on its side. Luckily no passengers were killed, although four were taken to the hospital and many were knocked from their seats.
Charlie was taken to Judge J. F. Bowers (who also served as the juvenile judge). Upon further evaluation, Judge Bowers sent Charlie to a doctor, and the doctor found that Charlie had “a bad case of adenoids and poisoned tonsils”. Charlie’s sentence: a tonsillectomy. Charlie was also sent to live on his grandfather’s farm since his mother’s home was on the bank of the railroad.
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36. Civil War in Burke Return to Exhibit
Prior to the Civil War, only a small number of farms were considered plantations in Burke County. Therefore, slave work was not necessary for farming. For those farmers who did own slaves, they regarded them as an important part of the family. Often the master worked in the fields along with their slaves. Masters tried to keep slave families together and would sell them to others within the county who would care for them . Once a slave owner died, some would free the slave or allow the slave to choose who his next owner would be.
Once the Civil War ended slavery, only a few slaveholders felt a great negative impact. Up to 1850, only one farm in Burke County used over 100 slaves and six farms used more than 50. Most farms had 10 to 13 slaves so these slave owners recognized the slaves as free men and hired them to work on their farms.
It appears that the attitude of the Burke County slave owners was different from that of other Confederate slave owners. It was common for slaves to be treated inhumanely and viewed as “property” rather than valued as a human.
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37. Room 1 Communities – Room 2 Curators Communities Room 1 Return to
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38. Exhibit Curators: Christy Baker and Laura Roberts
Curator’s Office
Exhibit Curators: Christy Baker and Laura Roberts
Sources:
Works Cited
Camp, Cordelia. Sketches of Burke County. Progress Edition Print.
Conley, Mike. "Town names immortalize early residents of Burke." The News Herald [Morganton, NC] 16 May 2010: E30. Print.
Grany's Country Kitchen FoodQuest. Web. 21 June <
Hotel, Connelly Springs, NC Podunk. Web. 21 June <
Lewis, JD. Burke County Carolina.com. Web. 21 June <
Luson Farm BBC News. In Pictures: Bygone farming. Web. 21 June 2011.
<
Phelps, Jennifer M. "Connelly Springs boasts healing waters." Burke Believe it or Not 27 Mar. 2005: 42. Print.
Treiber, Kyle. Burke County History at a Glance. Print.
Created using MLA Citation Maker on
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39. Glen Alpine
Glen Alpine was first known as Turkeytail, because of a tree near the train tracks that resembled the shape. Two brothers, Columbus and Edward Sigmon operated a store and a post office in the area and in 1883 the town officially became incorporated under the name Glen Alpine Station.
It was really named after the famous Glen Alpine Springs Hotel. In 1896, the word “station” was dropped from the town in Glen Alpine is home to the highest railroad point in Burke County (at 1,315 feet).
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40. Enola
Enola was settled by several logging and farming families in the early 1800s. The Enola community started to grow quickly after that. It is said that a man who had passed through in the beginnings of this community, noted how “alone” this place was and suggested the word alone be spelled backwards to make this town’s name of Enola.
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41. Connelly Springs
Connelly Springs was originally called Icard. In 1886, Mrs. Connelly had her water tested and found out that the water contained large amounts of bi-carbonate of iron. The town was incorporated on May 4, Connelly Springs was named in honor of Colonel William L. Connelly and his wife who were early settlers in the area.
The water was advertised as a healing water that could cure many diseases. A hotel with over 100 rooms brought tourists from all around, including Europe. George Vanderbilt, the owner of Biltmore Estate even stayed the night at the Connelly Mineral Springs Hotel. The hotel was torn down during WW2 to use the lumber to build the houses.
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42. Icard
Icard was first known as Bowman’s Crossing until The residents of Icard received their mail at Happy Home which is part of what is now known as Connelly Springs. Once Connelly Springs changed it’s name from Icard to Connelly Springs, the community kept Icard as it’s community name.
The Icard name comes from a pioneer family who settled at Bowman’s Crossing. There was a successful inn called, The Old Inn during the 1800s. This inn was for stagecoach passengers traveling between Statesville and Marion. Granny’s County Kitchen is a well-known restaurant that continues the tradition of the Icard community and their cooking today.
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43. People of Burke County – Room 2
Curators
People
Room 1
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44. Curator’s Office Exhibit Curators: Angela Bradshaw and Debbie Kiracofe
"August Gottleib Spangenberg." Wikipedia Web. 21 June <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Gottleib_Spangenberg>.
"Ervin, Samuel James, Jr.." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Office of Art and Archives, Web. 21 June <bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=e000211>.
"Etta Baker." Wikipedia Web. 21 June <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_Baker>.
Kincaid, Elizabeth, and Fred Cranford. Spotlight on Burke. Morganton, NC: Burke County Public Schools, Print.
"Sam Ervin." Wikipedia Web. 21 June <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Ervin>.
Treiber, Kyle. Burke County History at a Glance. Morganton, NC: Print.
Angela –
Debbie – -
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45. Samuel James Ervin, Jr. Born: 1896, Morganton, NC
Died: 1985, Morganton, NC
Sam Ervin was a lawyer and served as an associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. He was a U.S. Representative and Senator ( ) from North Carolina. He was a member of the Senate Select Committee to Investigate Campaign Practices also known as the Senate Watergate Committee. This committee investigated burglaries at the Democratic National Committee’s offices at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. This led to the resignation of the 37th President, Richard Nixon, in August 1974.
Sam Ervin. Discovery Education. Web. 21 June <
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46. Waldensians
The Waldensians are a group of people who settled in Burke County in 1893 from the French Italian Alps. For hundreds of years they had been persecuted and were granted freedom to practice religion as they wanted in After acquiring freedom it became difficult for them to find enough land to grow suitable crops, so they began searching for a new homeland. They settled in what is today known as the town of Valdese. Many of their descendants still live in the area. Their cultural traditions of baking and making wine are still practiced today. The history of the Waldensians is portrayed in the outdoor drama, From This Day Forward, each summer. The Trail of Faith is a living outdoor museum recounting their history.
Visit Valdese
Waldensian Seal. The Waldensian Noble Lesson. Web. 21 June <
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47. Etta Baker Born: 1913, Caldwell County
Died: September 23, 2006, Virginia
Etta Baker played the 6-string and 12-string forms of the acoustic guitar as well as the banjo. Her father began teaching her to play when she was three years old and she continued to play until her death at the age of 93. Etta lived in Burke County her entire adult life. She is best known for playing the Piedmont Blues. She has shared her musical knowledge with Bob Dylan, David Holt, Taj Mahal and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. She has received state and national awards for her music.
NPR Link – Etta Baker, Legend of Piedmont Blues
Etta Baker. Web. 21 June <
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48. Bishop Spangenberg Born: 1704, Hohenstein, Thuringia Died: 1792
Bishop Spangenberg was a theologian and minister and became bishop of the Moravian Brethren. In 1752 he led a small group of people to Burke County intending to establish a Moravian settlement. His diary reports finding buffalo, deer, elk, beaver, mink, panther, wild turkeys and black bears. He also noted the presence of Cherokee Indians. He decided not to establish a Moravian town in the Burke area, instead settled around present-day Winston-Salem.
August Gottlieb Spangenberg August Gottlieb Spangenberg. Web. 21 June <
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49. Places in Burke County – Room 2
Curators
Places
Room 1
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50. Randy Tanner and Amanda Rollins
Curator’s Office
Exhibit Curators:
Randy Tanner and Amanda Rollins
Sources:
Kincaid , Elizabeth, and Fred Cranford. Spotlight on Burke. Burke County, NC: Print.
Quaker Meadows. Morganton, NC: Historic Burke Foundation, Print.
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51. Old Burke County Court House
Located on the Square (bounded by East Meeting, South Green, East Union, and South Sterling Streets) in downtown Morganton, NC
Burke County’s first courthouse was built of logs in 1785 about eight years after the county was formed. A second and more substantial building was constructed in 1791 and served as the county Courthouse until 1833 when a two-story building was authorized by the General Assembly. The new court house was built by James Binnie, a Scottish builder who constructed the building of native stone quarried on Daniel Forney’s plantation. He was assisted by Frederick Roderick, a German stone mason, who eventually settled in Burke County. In 1901, a complete remodeling was done., It served as Burke County’s courthouse until The Old Burke County Courthouse was the oldest public structure still being used for its originally designated purpose in western North Carolina. Now it houses the Heritage Museum and the offices of Historic Burke Foundation and the Visitor Information Center.
Extra Facts
-During the last year of the Civil War, Federal raiders under General George Stoneman allegedly threw many court records out on the courthouse square and burned them
-North Carolina Supreme Court justices who held summer sessions of the Supreme Court in the Old Courthouse from 1847 to 1862
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52. North Carolina School for the Deaf
 In 1845 education of white deaf children and white blind children originated in Raleigh as The North Carolina Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. This was the ninth state operated school for deaf children in America. It was common in those days to share a campus with blind children. In 1869 funds were provided for a separate school for black deaf children and black blind children in a separate section of Raleigh. It was the first school of its kind in the South. Separation of races ended with the Civil Rights Act of 1963.
   Around 1890 the educational trend was to have separate schools for deaf children and blind children so the students could get an education that would include training in ways to earn a living with their handicaps. This led to a series of hearings that, in turn, led to legislative action. The end result was funding for a new school for deaf children and its location in Morganton, both in The prime advocate for a new school was Edward McKee Goodwin ( ) of Raleigh who, in 1894, became the first superintendent, an appointment he held until The person instrumental for the location of the new school in Morganton was Col. Samuel McDowell Tate ( ) of Morganton. The school for the blind remained in Raleigh as The Governor Morehead School.
Extra Facts
The school received national acclaim and in 1895 was visited by Edward Gallaudet, founder of Gallaudet College in Washington, DC
Today the NCSD campus has 19 buildings and students in grades K – 12
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53. Quaker Meadows Cemetery
Quaker Meadows Cemetery Located on Branstrom Drive, Morganton, NC (From Independence Boulevard, turn onto Sam Mull Ave., then take a quick right onto Branstrom Drive.  The cemetery is at the top of the hill. The gate is locked.  Contact Historic Burke Foundation to obtain entrance.)
The cemetery contains gravestones dating from 1767 to It is located on a portion of the land entered by Joseph McDowell the Pioneer (1715 – 1771), and  is the resting place of members of prominent early Burke County families.  Nine patriots of the American Revolution and three women whose names are on the List of Patriots of the National Society of the DAR are buried here. The cemetery was restored in 1981 by the Quaker Meadows Cemetery Corporation and was deeded to Historic Burke Foundation in   Entered in the National Register of Historic Places   
Extra Facts
- The Quaker Meadows Cemetery is the earliest identified site associated with white settlement in western North Carolina, therefore it is on the National Register for Historic Places.
There are 59 graves
Eunice Ervin (sister of Sen. Sam Ervin) was instrumental in getting the cemetery restored in
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54. McDowell House Return to Exhibit
McDowell House Located at 119 St. Mary’s Church Road, Morganton, NC (Open on Sunday afternoons from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm April through October.  For other times, call our office for an appointment.)
Built in 1812 by Captain Charles McDowell, Jr., this restored home  of classic federal style architecture portrays the history of life in the19th century.  It was built on the land claimed by his grandfather, the Scotch-Irish immigrant Joseph McDowell. The house was a center of social activity in Burke County. Charles and his wife Ann died in Their only son was killed during the Civil War. The house was donated to the Historic Burke Foundation by the Crescent Land and Timber Corp. in 1986 and was restored to the way it would have looked in 1812.   
Extra Facts
On September 30, 1780, General Charles McDowell, Major Joseph McDowell , and other Overmountain Men held a rendezvous under the Council Oak at Quaker Meadows prior to marching to the Battle of Kings Mountain.  This event is commemorated by Overmountain Men Re-enactors each September 30th at the McDowell House.
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