Yancey County, North Carolina - 2003 Community Guide

Established in 1833, Yancey County was named for a distinguished statesman, Bartlett Yancey, who served in the U.S. Congress from 1813 to 1817. He became speaker of the North Carolina Senate in 1817 and held that position until 1827. During his tenure as a legislator, Yancey helped to create an educational fund that would support the state’s public school system. Adding to his legacy, and giving him a place in our region’s history, was his involvement in the process of establishing the county that now bears his name. This state leader died in 1828, but the rugged, picturesque county of Yancey continues to preserve his memory.

After Yancey’s death, establishment of the county was made possible through the efforts of Captain Otway Burns. Captain Burns was the commander of the merchant ship Snap Dragon during the War of 1812. He became one of the best-known privateers of that war, capturing several valuable British cargoes along the Atlantic coastline. After this naval hero became a state legislator, he continued the efforts begun by Yancey and cast the deciding vote that created the county. In 1834, the county seat of Burnsville was established, honoring the name of Captain Burns.

In 1909, the captain’s grandson, Walter Francis Burns, Sr., contributed a statue of the statesman with the inscription, “He Guarded Well Our Seas, Let Our Mountains Honor Him.” The 6-foot copper statue has become a treasured landmark on the Burnsville Town Square.

The McElroy House, which is now the Rush Wray Museum of Yancey County History, was built around 1840 and served as the headquarters for the Home Guard for much of western North Carolina during the Civil War. The Chamber of Commerce currently operates the Visitor’s Center in a restored service station on West Main Street below the Museum. Joint efforts of the Yancey History Association and the Chamber of Commerce have preserved and restored these properties, and this valuable regional historic site now serves residents, visitors and businesses alike.

Numerous buildings throughout the county have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Perhaps the oldest of these is Burnsville’s first inn, a two-story log trading post and stagecoach stop in 1833. Once known as the Ray Hotel, the inn has changed ownership several times over the years. In 1918, the structure was bought and renovated by William B. and Julia Wray, creating what is now called the Nu-Wray Inn. Prominently located on the Town Square, the lodge still offers guests genuine hospitality and hearty meals.

Nearby stands a two-story concrete structure which served as the county courthouse when it was built in 1908 and now serves as a renovated town hall and police department. The town’s library, formerly occupied by two banks, is also listed on the National Register. The Burnsville Woman’s Club established the library in the late 1930s.

The county’s first church on record was the Cane River Baptist Church. The first bank in the county was called the Bank of Yancey and was established in 1905. The CC&O Railroad began serving the area in 1901.

The county’s original newspaper was The Black Mountain Eagle, first printed in 1896. Today’s newspaper, The Yancey Common Times Journal, was first published in 1993 and is the result of a merger between The Yancey Journal and The Common Times.

History plays a significant role in Yancey County, as we continue to preserve not only the original architecture of the past, but the legacies of our founding fathers, too. Through storytelling, original crafts and cultural events, our traditions and heritage never cease to be celebrated.