The Old Yancey County Courthouse

The old Yancey County Courthouse was built on the southwest corner of the Burnsville, North Carolina town square in 1908. The two story building included a large courtroom, judges chambers, a holing cell for prisoners, and at one time, the county draft board office. The building served as the county courthouse for the next fifty six years, at which time a new courthouse was built on the southeast corner of the town square in 1965. The building was sold to a prominent local judge, Bill Anglin, on 26 May, 1965. The old courthouse remained empty until 8 June, 1974 when Burnsville's mayor, and Judge Anglin's brother, Jim Anglin requested that the property be transferred to the Town of Burnsville. Since 1974, the building has been used as Burnsville's town hall. The old Yancey County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the State of North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, on 10 August, 1979.

The old Yancey County Courthouse was built on the southwest corner of the Burnsville, North Carolina town square in 1908. The two story building included a large courtroom, judges chambers, a holing cell for prisoners, and at one time, the county draft board office. The building served as the county courthouse for the next fifty six years, at which time a new courthouse was built on the southeast corner of the town square in 1965.

The building was sold to a prominent local judge, Bill Anglin, on 26 May, 1965. It was often joked that Judge Anglin was the only judge in the state that owned his own courthouse. The old courthouse remained empty until 8 June, 1974 when Burnsville's mayor, and Judge Anglin's brother, Jim Anglin requested that the property be transferred to the Town of Burnsville. At the time of the transfer the doors were unhinged and most of the windows were broken.

Judge Anglin agreed to deed the real estate and property to the town, but specifically excluded the bell that hung in the belfry. For many years the bell sat on the judge's back porch until his death, at which time it was transferred to Yancey County. The cupola , which currently sits on the Yancey County Courthouse, was later replaced with a clock tower through donations in an effort led by Cecil Shaw.

After renovation of the first floor all the existing town departments were moved into the office space located on the first floor of the building. In 1987, Mayor Mark Bennett, a former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, began efforts to both expand and renovate the old courthouse to better suit the town's government. Mayor Bennett led efforts to expand office space to the second floor as well as choosing a color palette more appropriate to the building. The upstairs board room, upon his death, was named in Mayor Bennett's honor.

The old Yancey County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the State of North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, on 10 August, 1979.

http://www.townofburnsville.org/burnsville-history/burnsville-town-hall http://exploreburnsville.com/index.php/eatshop/