Historic Burke County Courthouse

Home
United States
Morganton, NC
Historic Burke County Courthouse

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Historic Burke County Courthouse, 102 East Union Street, Morganton, NC.

11/02/2026

🌼🕯️ DÍA DE LOS MU***OS: A CELEBRATION OF LIFE, LOVE & REMEMBRANCE

Did you know that honoring departed loved ones on November 1 and 2 is a tradition shared by many Latin American cultures? While Mexico is internationally recognized for its colorful Día de los Mu***os celebrations, communities throughout Latin America observe their own meaningful traditions of remembrance.

🌼 ANCIENT ROOTS & CULTURAL HERITAGE

Mexico's Día de los Mu***os developed through the blending of Indigenous traditions honoring the dead with Catholic observances of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Families create ofrendas (altars of remembrance) featuring photographs, candles, favorite foods, and bright orange marigolds called cempasúchil. Decorated sugar skulls and pan de mu**to are also beloved traditions.

🌎 REMEMBRANCE ACROSS LATIN AMERICA

Guatemala: Communities celebrate with colorful giant kites, cemetery visits, and traditional foods.

Ecuador: Families share colada morada, a purple fruit drink, and guaguas de pan, decorated bread figures.

Bolivia: Families prepare special tables with offerings, bread figures, flowers, and favorite foods.

Peru: Families gather at cemeteries with flowers, food, and prayers to remember loved ones.

El Salvador, Nicaragua & Honduras: Families honor departed relatives through cemetery visits, flowers, prayers, and remembrance.

❤️ PRESERVING MEMORIES, HONORING GENERATIONS

Although customs vary across countries and communities, these observances share a powerful purpose: remembering those who came before us. At Historic Burke Foundation, we believe history lives not only in buildings and artifacts but also in the traditions, stories, and memories passed from generation to generation.

🌼 Honoring the past. Celebrating heritage. Preserving memories.

📚 Sources: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino; UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage; Encyclopaedia Britannica.

***os

11/01/2026

🎃🕯️ HALLOWEEN IN VICTORIAN AMERICA: GHOST STORIES, SUPERSTITIONS & STRANGE TRADITIONS!

Halloween in the 1800s looked quite different from the holiday we celebrate today!
Forget plastic skeletons and bags of candy. Victorian-era Halloween celebrations often featured candlelit gatherings, mysterious games, ghost stories, and curious traditions.

👻 GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT
The Victorians had a fascination with the supernatural. Ghost stories, séances, and spiritualism became popular during the 19th century, adding an atmosphere of mystery to the season.

🍎 APPLES, MIRRORS & FORTUNE-TELLING
Many Halloween games focused on predicting the future, especially marriage!
Young people bobbed for apples, tossed apple peels over their shoulders to reveal a future sweetheart's initials, and participated in other fortune-telling customs.
One particularly eerie tradition involved looking into a mirror by candlelight, hoping to glimpse the face of a future spouse!

🎭 COSTUMES & HALLOWEEN PARTIES
By the late 1800s, Halloween parties were becoming increasingly popular in America. Guests enjoyed seasonal refreshments, games, costumes, and decorations featuring pumpkins, black cats, and witches.

🎃 FROM PARLOR GAMES TO TRICK-OR-TREATING
As Halloween evolved, neighborhood celebrations gradually replaced many older customs. By the mid-1900s, trick-or-treating had become a familiar American tradition.
🏛️ PRESERVING THE STORIES OF THE PAST
While Halloween celebrations have changed dramatically, the traditions of gathering with neighbors, sharing stories, and celebrating the season remain.
At Historic Burke Foundation, we believe even our favorite holidays offer fascinating glimpses into the lives of generations before us.

🧡 Happy Halloween from Historic Burke Foundation!

📚 Sources: Library of Congress, Halloween history collections; Smithsonian Magazine, Halloween history articles; History.com, “Halloween 2026.”

10/31/2026

🎃👻 THE HAUNTING HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN!

Did you know Halloween has roots stretching back more than 2,000 years? Long before costumes, candy, and jack-o'-lanterns, ancient Celtic communities celebrated Samhain, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. People believed the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin during this seasonal transition. Bonfires and other rituals became part of the celebration.

⛪ FROM SAMHAIN TO HALLOWEEN
As Christianity spread, November 1 became associated with All Saints' Day, also called All Hallows' Day. The evening before became All Hallows' Eve, eventually shortened to Halloween.

🎃 WHY DO WE CARVE PUMPKINS?
In Ireland, people carved frightening faces into turnips! Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, where pumpkins became a popular alternative.

🍬 WHERE DID TRICK-OR-TREATING BEGIN?
European customs such as “souling,” exchanging prayers for food, and “guising,” dressing in costumes and performing for treats, helped influence modern trick-or-treating. By the mid-20th century, neighborhood trick-or-treating had become a beloved American tradition.

🏛️ A TRADITION CONNECTING GENERATIONS
From ancient bonfires to glowing pumpkins on front porches, Halloween reminds us how customs evolve while connecting us to the past.

Happy Halloween from Historic Burke Foundation! 🧡

📚 Sources: Library of Congress, “The Origins of Halloween Traditions”; Smithsonian Magazine, “The Celtic Origins of Trick-or-Treating.”

10/30/2026

🎃👻 SOMETHING SPOOKY IS COMING TO THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE! 👻🎃

Historic Burke Foundation is excited to participate in Downtown Morganton's Halloween Spooktacular! Join us for an afternoon of costumes, candy, and Halloween fun in the heart of historic Morganton!

🍬 Historic Burke Foundation will be handing out candy at the Historic Burke County Courthouse!

📅 Friday, October 30, 2026
⏰ 3:00–6:00 PM
📍 Historic Burke County Courthouse, Downtown Morganton, NC

Bring the family, wear your favorite costume, and stop by the Historic Courthouse for a treat!

🏛️ What better place to celebrate Halloween than one of Burke County's most recognizable historic landmarks?

We look forward to seeing all the little ghosts, goblins, witches, and superheroes!

🎃 History Lives Here — Even on Halloween!

10/29/2026

🐈‍⬛🐾 CATS THROUGH HISTORY: FROM SACRED COMPANIONS TO HALLOWEEN ICONS!

Happy National Cat Day! 🐈

Did you know that cats have been fascinating humans for thousands of years?

🏺 ANCIENT EGYPT: CATS WERE TREASURED: Ancient Egyptians admired cats for their ability to protect homes and food supplies from rodents. Cats also became associated with the goddess Bastet, a symbol of protection and fertility.

🧙‍♀️ THE MIDDLE AGES: CATS & SUPERSTITION: During medieval Europe, cats, particularly black cats, became associated with witchcraft and supernatural beliefs. Some believed witches could transform into cats or that black cats served as their mysterious companions.

🏛️ VICTORIAN AMERICA: CATS BECOME FAMILY: During the 19th century, cats increasingly became cherished household pets. They appeared in family portraits, illustrations, advertisements, and popular literature. Black cats also became familiar figures in Halloween imagery, appearing alongside witches, pumpkins, and full moons.

🐈‍⬛ FROM SUPERSTITION TO CELEBRATION

Today, black cats remain one of Halloween's most recognizable symbols, but we know there's nothing unlucky about these beautiful animals! As we celebrate National Cat Day, we're reminded that even our favorite furry companions have fascinating histories.

🧡 Happy National Cat Day from Historic Burke Foundation!

📚 Sources: Smithsonian Institution; Library of Congress; Encyclopedia Britannica.

10/28/2026

🇺🇸📜 THE BIRTH OF MORGANTON: 242 YEARS OF HISTORY!

October 22, 1784 — A Town Is Born!

Did you know Morganton was officially established by the North Carolina Legislature on October 22, 1784?

During Historic Burke Foundation's celebration of Morganton's 242nd birthday, attendees enjoyed a fascinating look into the city's beginnings and the people who shaped its history.

Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Cato shared how Morganton emerged as an important center of government and commerce in western North Carolina.

Named in honor of Revolutionary War General Daniel Morgan, the town's original plans included a courthouse, prison, public grounds, and streets surrounding what is now the historic courthouse square.

Dr. John Lafferty, dressed in period attire, brought history to life by presenting portions of the original 1784 legislative act establishing the town.

📜 "An act to establish the town of Morgan, and to direct the building of a courthouse and prison in the same District of Morgan."

In 2021, Morganton City Council designated October 22 as Daniel Morgan Day, honoring the city's founding and Revolutionary War heritage.

🎉 ANOTHER HISTORIC MILESTONE IS APPROACHING!

While Morganton celebrates 242 years, Burke County will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2027!

Established in 1777, just one year after the Declaration of Independence, Burke County has played an important role in shaping western North Carolina.

As we approach this remarkable milestone, Historic Burke Foundation looks forward to sharing the stories, people, places, and events that have shaped our community over the past two and a half centuries.

❤️🤍💙 250 Years of Burke County — A Heritage Worth Celebrating!

Stay connected as we explore our history and look ahead to 2027!

Our History. Our Heritage. Our Future.

10/28/2026

BELVIDERE: A LOST LANDMARK OF BURKE COUNTY
There was once a house high on a ridge overlooking the Johns River that stood for more than a century—and witnessed generations of Burke County history. Its name was Belvidere. Established around 1802 by Colonel William Willoughby Erwin, Belvidere stood near present-day Piedmont Road. Its name comes from the Italian bel vedere, meaning “beautiful view”—a fitting name for a home overlooking the surrounding river valley.

Belvidere was no ordinary frontier home. Its bricks were made on the property and laid in an elegant Flemish bond pattern, a labor-intensive form of masonry associated with some of the finer homes of the period. As William and his wife, Matilda Sharpe Erwin, raised their sixteen children, family tradition holds that the house was enlarged several times to accommodate their growing household. Over time, Belvidere became the center of a substantial plantation encompassing thousands of acres in the Johns River and Upper Creek region. Its history also includes the enslaved men, women, and children whose labor contributed to the operation of the plantation and the lives of the families who called it home. For more than a century, Belvidere remained a landmark in Burke County.

Then, in 1929, the house was destroyed by fire.

But Belvidere did not disappear completely. Historic photographs survive. Newspaper stories preserve glimpses of everyday life inside the house. Family histories, deeds, court records and other documents help us reconstruct its past. And on the land today, the Erwin Family Cemetery remains as a tangible connection to generations of people whose stories intersected with this place.

Over the coming weeks, Historic Burke Foundation will be sharing “Belvidere: A Lost Landmark of Burke County,” a series exploring the house, the plantation, its architecture, the Erwin family, the people whose labor sustained it, and the remarkable stories preserved long after the house itself disappeared. We'll even share the story of a sparrow that once found its way into Belvidere's closed parlor—and decided that a flower vase on the mantel was the perfect place to raise a family.

A house can disappear. Its history doesn't have to.

And perhaps some pieces of Belvidere's story are still waiting to be found.

Do you have photographs, letters, documents, family stories, or artifacts connected to Belvidere or the Erwin family? Historic Burke Foundation would love to hear from you!

Follow along as we begin reconstructing the story of Belvidere.

Research and historical information provided by Dalton Walters, Historic Burke Foundation.

10/26/2026

🎉🇺🇸 **HAPPY 242ND BIRTHDAY, MORGANTON!** 🇺🇸🎉

On Thursday, October 22, Historic Burke Foundation was proud to sponsor a special celebration commemorating the 242nd anniversary of the founding of Morganton, North Carolina!

Held in the City Council Chambers at Morganton City Hall, the gathering brought together local officials, historians, community members, and friends of Historic Burke Foundation to recognize an important milestone in our city's history.

The afternoon featured remarks from Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Cato, who shared the fascinating story of Morganton's beginnings, and Dr. John Lafferty, whose historical presentation brought the events of October 22, 1784, to life.

From the display of the historic Betsy Ross flag to the period attire and patriotic refreshments, the celebration was a wonderful reminder of the rich history that continues to shape our community.

We extend our sincere appreciation to the City of Morganton, our speakers, everyone who helped organize the celebration, and all who joined us for this special occasion.

❤️🤍💙 242 years of history. 242 years of community. And a heritage worth preserving for generations to come!

Happy Birthday, Morganton!

10/17/2026

Please Join Us!

10/07/2026

From Burke County to American History

The story of Senator Sam Ervin reminds us that history is not only made in the nation's capital, it often begins in communities like Burke County.

From his childhood in Morganton to his service in war, the courtroom, the U.S. Senate, and one of the most consequential congressional investigations in American history, Ervin's life demonstrates how one individual from a small North Carolina community can leave a lasting mark on the nation.

At Historic Burke Foundation, we believe that preserving local history helps us better understand our shared American story. Every historic place, every artifact, and every person has a story worth preserving, and sharing with future generations.

Sources: U.S. Senate Historical Office, Samuel J. Ervin Jr.; North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, U.S. Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr. of Watergate Fame; U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian, Samuel James Ervin Jr.

Address

102 East Union Street
Morganton, NC
28655

Telephone

+18284374104

Website

http://www.historicburke.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Historic Burke County Courthouse posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.