Cherokee County Historical Museum

05/11/2026

Thank you so much Cherokee County NC Chamber of Commerce for the shout out! We want everyone to see and visit the museum and enjoy all we have to offer!! Even if it’s for the first time or first time in a long time! Things change and grow and you will most assuredly see something new every time!

04/16/2026

Come check out 2 great ribbon cuttings and the Art Walk all in one day in our beautiful downtown Murphy, NC! The Harshaw Chapel will have there’s earlier in the day, and then we will have ours in the afternoon! Come out and see our new expanded space and amazing new displays!

03/25/2026

Cherokee County Historical Museum Celebrates Expansion in Historic Carnegie Library Building
MURPHY, N.C. — The Cherokee County Historical Museum has officially completed a major expansion, now occupying the full footprint of the historic Carnegie Library building in downtown Murphy, a space that has served the community for generations as a library, municipal facility, and museum.
The expansion includes the renovation and integration of the building’s remaining half, most recently used by the Murphy Police Department, creating a unified museum experience that honors both the structure’s past and the region’s deep historical roots.
Originally constructed as a Carnegie Library, the building housed Murphy’s public library for decades before transitioning into shared use for civic functions, including law enforcement offices and museum space. With this project now complete, the museum has fully reclaimed the building, restoring its identity as a center for education, preservation, and genealogical research.
This expansion represents more than additional space—it allows us to more fully tell the story of Cherokee County and its people. The building itself is part of that story.
The museum is widely recognized for its extensive and diverse collections, which document both Native American heritage and early Appalachian life. Among its most notable holdings are more than 2,000 Cherokee artifacts collected over decades, along with interpretive exhibits that explore Cherokee history, culture, and traditions.
Visitors can also experience:
• A replica Cherokee log dwelling representing life during the 1830s removal era
• Exhibits on the Trail of Tears and the region’s role as the site of Fort Butler
• Antique farm tools and handmade household items from early settlers
• A variety of textiles, clothing, and jewelry
• Displays of minerals, tools, books, and regional artifacts spanning generations
• Exhibit of Native American craftsmanship of pottery, baskets and Jewelry

The museum is designated as an official interpretive site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, a distinction granted through the National Park Services. This recognition underscores the site’s importance in preserving and interpreting the history of the Cherokee people, particularly during the forced removal of the 1830s. The museum continues to serve as a vital cultural resource, connecting residents and visitors alike to the layered history of the region—from its earliest Indigenous inhabitants to pioneer settlers and modern-day communities.
The museum was formed in 1977 by a group of residents, business owners, educators and town and county officials whose main purpose was to preserve and share the history of Cherokee County. The first collections were from Herman West who had bought the Arthur Palmer collection and the museum has been growing since.
The Cherokee County Historical Museum council along with Terrisa Carringer, Museum Director would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Murphy Town Council, Chad Simons, Murphy Town Manager, Mayor Tim Radford, Murphy TDA, EBCI and those who have made private donations for helping to make this vision possible. Contractor Malcolm Griffiths and crew worked from September 2025 till February 2026 provided their services to make the museum a more accessible and interesting destination. The council and director would also like to express their gratitude to the Cherokee County IT Dept., county maintenance and town maintenance for their assistance and willingness to help with projects.
Serving on the council is President- Trevis Hicks, Silas Shields-Secretary/Treasurer, Billy Ray Palmer, Historian, Glenda Fisher EBCI member, Walt Shattuck, Historian and Terrisa Carringer, Museum Director.
As museum director I would like to say it has been an amazing experience working with everyone listed. I am very fortunate with all the support and encouragement I have had throughout this whole project. A special “Thank You” to the museum council for allowing me to make the changes and upgrade our facility for a better experience for our patrons.
Community members and visitors are encouraged to explore the newly expanded space and rediscover the stories that have shaped Cherokee County. The Museum is located at 87 Peachtree Street, Muphy, NC. Hours are Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Cost is $5.00 adult admission and $2.00 for students age 7-17.
Museum council invites the community to their Open House to celebrate our new renovations on Friday, May 1st, 2026, from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM.

12/20/2025

12/18/2025

We love our shoutouts and that others are noticing our efforts to preserve and protect our rich history!! Thank you! Visit Smokies!!

11/22/2025

✨ Saturday Spotlight: Cherokee County Historical Museum ✨

Today we’re shining a bright light on one of our community’s most treasured landmarks — the Cherokee County Historical Museum. From the moment you step inside, you’re surrounded by the stories, artifacts, and heritage that shaped the mountains we call home.

With beautifully curated exhibits, local history displays, and hands-on learning experiences, the museum offers something meaningful for visitors of all ages. It’s not just a place to look back — it’s a place that inspires pride in who we are and where we come from.

Whether you’re a lifelong resident or new to the area, we encourage you to stop by, explore, and support the preservation of Cherokee County’s rich past. 🏛️✨

Have you visited recently? Tell us your favorite exhibit!

10/11/2025

🏛 The Cherokee County Courthouse: The Stones That Speak at the End of Main Street

At the far western end of North Carolina where the state meets Georgia and Tennessee stands one of the most unique courthouses in America. Rising from the central square of Murphy, the Cherokee County Courthouse has long been called “the handsomest in North Carolina,” admired for its unusual construction of native blue marble, and cherished as both a seat of justice and a symbol of community pride.

📜 Cherokee County has had several courthouses over its history many lost to fire. The brick courthouse that stood before the present one was destroyed by flames on January 16, 1926, prompting county leaders to envision a replacement that would be fireproof, durable, and monumental. Less than two years later, in November 1927, the county formally opened its new quarter million dollar courthouse. The Cherokee Scout reported at the time:

“FORMALLY OPEN CHEROKEE’S NEW COURTHOUSE … Spacious Building Of Native Stone One of Finest Of Kind In State … Highly commended the commissioners … declaring that it was not only a credit to Cherokee County, but the State of North Carolina as a whole.”

🪨 Unlike most courthouses of brick or concrete, Murphy’s is built almost entirely of marble quarried just two miles away by the Regal Blue Marble Company. The exterior is clad in unpolished native blue marble. The interior features polished blue marble in windowsills and wainscoting, paired with gleaming white marble in the stairways and rotunda.

In the very center of the rotunda floor lies a striking eight pointed star, set in alternating blue and white marble, a lasting emblem of permanence beneath the dome. This bold use of local stone made the courthouse both durable and distinctive. To this day, Murphy is known as the home of the only blue marble courthouse in the United States and possibly the world.

🌄 The building was praised from the very beginning. At its 1927 dedication, speakers from Cherokee, Clay, and Graham Counties as well as Georgia and Tennessee called it “beautiful and magnificent.”

By 1933, The State magazine carried a feature article titled Murphy, the End of Main Street. In it, writer Robert A. Erwin quoted Murphy hotelier and historian C.W. Savage, who declared:

“Murphy has the only blue marble courthouse in the United States and probably in the world. This courthouse is a beautiful structure … There is a beautiful eight-pointed star in white and blue marble embedded in the center of the courthouse floor downstairs.” Savage even called the courthouse the town’s “chief claim to fame.”

🏛 Architect & Design

The courthouse was designed by James J. Baldwin, a noted architect educated at the University of South Carolina and the University of Pennsylvania. Its style is Classical Revival with Beaux-Arts influence. Its plan is anchored by the central rotunda, marble floors, and finely crafted woodwork. The defining feature is the soaring 132 foot dome and cupola, crowned by a copper lantern that gleams above the town square.

🕰 History and Preservation

1979: Added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its architectural and historical importance.

2013: Underwent a $9 million renovation and expansion. While new offices and courtrooms were built, the original marble structure was carefully preserved as the historic heart of county government.

2017–2018: The copper lantern atop the dome, weathered by time and even marked by bullet holes, was carefully removed, repaired, and returned to its rightful place above Murphy.

👉 Cherokee County Courthouse:

One of the few county courthouses in the U.S. built from stone quarried within its own county.

Born of resilience, after earlier courthouses were lost to fire.

Architecturally, it ties Murphy to broader traditions of neoclassical design and civic symbolism.

Culturally, it has long been a source of pride for the people of Cherokee County and a landmark admired by visitors near and far.

To many North Carolinians, the phrase “from Manteo to Murphy” has always symbolized the state from east to west. And at that western end, the Cherokee County Courthouse stands not only as the center of civic life but as a monument to resilience, artistry, and community identity rooted in the very stone of the mountains.

As Robert Erwin concluded back in 1933:

“Comparatively few North Carolinians ever have visited Murphy. You ought to go up and see it some time.”

Nearly a century later, the advice still holds true.

09/26/2025

Different vantage points of the Cherokee County Courthouse in Downtown Murphy NC.

This beautiful historic structure was constructed in 1927 from blue marble that was quarried locally in Marble, NC.

Find out more information about this building and other Cherokee County sites at the Cherokee County Historical Museum in Downtown Murphy.

09/14/2025

✨ Hidden in the stones beneath our mountains are echoes of sorrow, tears, and legends… In Cherokee County, the fairy crosses, tiny, natural stones shaped like crosses, are more than minerals. The Cherokee people believe that when they were forced from their land along the Trail of Tears, their grief was so deep the earth itself held their tears. Those tears, the stories say, became the fairy crosses.

These stones are also tied to older Cherokee lore, the ‘little people’ (sometimes called the Yunwi Tsunsdi) spirits of the land who are said to have appeared to the Cherokee in times of hardship. The crosses carry meaning: loss, memory, protection.

👉 Want to hold this living history in your hand? Come see the fairy crosses in person at the Cherokee County Historical Museum in Murphy.

Step into our exhibits, walk the trail of stories, and let these stones connect you to a past that still moves us today.

📍 Downtown Murphy where history waits in every stone.
Support the museum. Remember the Cherokee. Let these fairy crosses speak for those who were silenced.