Burke County |
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The County was named after Dr. Thomas Burke, a member of the Continental Congress and governor of North Carolina, 1781-82. Gold mining flourished in Burke County during the antebellum years. This industry began in 1828 with a frenzied rush when gold was discovered in the southwestern part of the county on branches of Silver Creek and south muddy Creek and on the headwaters of the Second Broad River. By the spring of 1833, there were said to be 5,000 slaves mining gold in the county. Several peaks in the Blue Ridge section have an elevation of over 4,000 feet above sea level. The varied topography of Burke affects a variety of crops and natural vegetation. The Catawba River, the largest stream and main drainage way, divides the county into two parts of which the northern is slightly larger. The exact date of the arrival of the first settlers into the Burke County area is not exactly known. The Speculation of Colonel William Tate and Major Andrew Baird were the largest of the early speculative grants in present Burke County. James Greenlee, agent to Tench Coxe, served as a Justice and eventual first coroner of Burke County. Based on 49 separate warrants for which entries had been made on January 30, 1795, the grant was approved July 8, 1796 and included a total of 25,600 acres (Phifer). Burke County, with Morganton as its seat, is situated in the section of North Carolina where the rolling hills of the Piedmont blend with the Blue Ridge Mountains. On the south side of Burke County are the South Mountains, while the Blue Ridge are to the west. |
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Bibliography: |
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Cordelia Camp. Sketches of Burke County. Morganton, North Carolina: The News-Herald Press, 1954. Corbitt, David Leroy. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties 1633-1943. Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 1950. Mull, J. Alex. Tales of Old Burke. Morganton, N.C.: The News Herald Press, 1975. Phifer, Edward. Burke County: A Brief History. Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 1979. The Heritage of Burke County, 1981. Morganton, NC: Burke County Historical Society, 1981. |