Morganton is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Burke County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, United States. The population was 16,918 at the 2010 census. Morganton is approximately northwest of

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. Morganton is one of the principal cities in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. A site five miles north of Morganton has been identified as the Mississippian culture chiefdom of Joara, occupied from AD 1400 to AD 1600. This was also the site of Fort San Juan, built in 1567 by a Spanish expedition as the first European settlement in the interior of North America, 40 years before the English settlement of Jamestown, Virginia.

History

Joara archeological site

The oldest-known European inland (non-coastal) settlement in the United States of Fort San Juan has been identified at Joara, a former Mississippian culture chiefdom located about five miles north of present-day Morganton. In 1567 a Spanish expedition built the fort there, while seeking to establish an interior route to Mexican silver mines. This was more than 40 years before the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

settled Jamestown, Virginia, their first permanent settlement in North America.Constance E. Richards, "Contact and Conflict"
, ''American Archaeologist'', Spring 2008, accessed 26 Jun 2009 The Spanish left a 31-man garrison that occupied the fort for 18 months before being overcome in a Mississippian attack. Five other Spanish forts in the larger interior region were also destroyed about that time. Only one soldier survived. The fort and Indian settlement have been under professional excavation since the early 21st century, with findings published since 2004. Europeans associated with the British colonies did not try to settle this far west for nearly 200 years, organizing Burke County in 1777. Today Joara is identified as a significant

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and

historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

site near the Watersee River in the Upper Catawba Valley. Construction of its mounds is believed to have been started by the people of the Mississippian culture by AD 1000, and they occupied the site continuously from 1400AD to 1600AD. Based on additional archeological excavations at the "Berry Site" that revealed the remains of a defensive moat constructed in European style, researchers in 2013 concluded that this was the site of Fort San Juan and Joara. Earlier evidence found in the area included "military artifacts and burned remains of Spanish-built huts."Archeology: "Berry Site"
, Warren Wilson College

19th century

During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, the Western North Carolina Railroad stopped just a few miles east of Morganton and a Confederate training camp, named Camp Vance after North Carolina's wartime governor Zebulon Vance (whose wife, Hariette Espy Vance, was from Morganton), which was located just outside of town. Both the railroad and the camp were the targets of a raid across the mountains from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, by the Union Loyalists of the

3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry The 3rd North Carolina (Volunteer) Mounted Infantry (3rd NCMI) was an all-volunteer mounted infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was predominantly composed of Union Loyalists from North Car ...

in July 1864. On April 17, 1865 there was a small skirmish fought in Morganton, as part of

Stoneman's 1865 raid Stoneman's raid in 1865, also called Stoneman's last raid, was a military campaign in the Upper South during the American Civil War, by Union cavalry troops led by General George Stoneman, in the region of eastern Tennessee, western North Caroli ...

through North Carolina. After the Civil War, Morgantonian Tod R. Caldwell, became the only Governor of North Carolina from Morganton, when he took over the office after the impeachment of William Woods Holden in 1871. Public welfare facilities, such as the North Carolina School for the Deaf: Main Building and Western North Carolina Insane Asylum, were first authorized by the state legislature in the late 19th century.

20th century to present

In the early 20th century, textile mills were developed in the Piedmont as industry left union-dominated areas of the Northeast United States. During the century, however, these industrial jobs gradually moved offshore. In the late 20th century, Morganton and Burke County, was still largely rural and with big poultry farms, which became locations for industrial-scale poultry processing plants. These jobs attracted many new immigrants to the state from

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, leading to an increase in the Latino population in the area. During the 1990s,

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

n-born workers in Morganton, worked to organize a union at the Case Farms poultry plant but were ultimately unsuccessful. Labor and factory work have changed in the "Nuevo South", where many Latino immigrants work in low-paid industrial jobs. They are competing with

globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

in some industries. At the state level, North Carolina is working to encourage immigrant communities and their contributions.

Synthron plant explosion

On January 31, 2006, an explosion occurred at Synthron Inc., a paint additive chemical manufacturer's plant in Morganton. Workers at Synthron reported hearing a loud hiss minutes before the explosion. Most were able to escape the building before the blast, but even some who were outside were thrown as far as . The explosion was heard and felt as far away as . On the day of the explosion, operations appeared normal until after the steam was turned off and the polymer initiating solution was pumped into the reactor. The operator in charge noted that initially the reaction did not proceed as vigorously as expected, but later the solvent evaporated and the condensed solvent flow returning to the reactor appeared within normal range. A few minutes later, the operator heard a loud hissing and saw vapor venting from the reactor manway. The irritating vapor forced him out of the building. Three other employees also left the building because of the vapors. The operator reentered the building wearing a respirator and started emergency cooling water flow to the reactor. The building exploded less than 30 seconds after he exited the second time. The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) stated that the solvent vapor leaked from the overheated and over-pressurised process reactor, forming a flammable vapour cloud inside the building that ignited. A total of 14 people were injured in the blast, of whom one man later died. In addition, at least 300 fish died due to chemicals leaking into a creek behind the Synthron plant which leads into the Catawba River.

National Register of Historic Places

Properties recognized for their historic significance date primarily to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the period of more dense development. They include public facilities, such as the state school for the deaf, numerous private homes and former business facilities, as well as several historic districts. They reflect the development of the area by yeoman farmers, and later cotton planters who had plantations, as well as the development of cotton and textile mills, followed by other industries. They include the

Avery Avenue Historic District Avery Avenue Historic District is a national historic district located at Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina. It encompasses 112 contributing buildings in a predominantly residential section of Morganton. They were built between about 1 ...

, Avery Avenue School, Alphonse Calhoun Avery House, Bellevue, Broughton Hospital Historic District, Burke County Courthouse, Creekside, U. S. B. Dale's Market, Dunavant Cotton Manufacturing Company, Gaither House, Garrou-Morganton Full-Fashioned Hosiery Mills, Gaston Chapel, Hunting Creek Railroad Bridge, Jonesboro Historic District,

John Alexander Lackey House John Alexander Lackey House is a historic home located at Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina. It was built about 1900, and is a two-story, "T"-shaped, gable roofed, brick farmhouse. It has a one-story, gabled kitchen wing. The house featur ...

, Magnolia Place, Morganton Downtown Historic District, Mountain View, North Carolina School for the Deaf Historic District, North Carolina School for the Deaf: Main Building, North Green Street-Bouchelle Street Historic District, Quaker Meadows, Quaker Meadows Cemetery, Dr. Joseph Bennett Riddle House, South King Street Historic District, Swan Ponds, Tate House, Franklin Pierce Tate House, West Union Street Historic District, Western North Carolina Insane Asylum, and White Street-Valdese Avenue Historic District are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

Morganton is located in central Burke County in the Catawba River valley in the foothills of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...

. Interstate 40 passes through the southern part of the city, leading east to Hickory and west to Asheville. U.S. Route 70 passes east–west through the center of the city paralleling I-40, and U.S. Route 64 passes north–south, leading northeast to

Lenoir Lenoir may refer to: Locations: * Lenoir, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir City, Tennessee In Universities: * Lenoir-Rhyne University * Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...

and southwest to Rutherfordton. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, Morganton has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Morganton, NC, has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa'') and is located in hardiness zone 7b. The average low temperature in January is 26 degrees F, while the average high temperature in January is 49 degrees F. Summer highs are in the upper 80s. Summer lows are in the mid-60s.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 17,474 people, 6,181 households, and 3,907 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 16,918 people, 7,618 households, and 4,117 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 953.0 people per square mile (368.0/km²). There were 7,313 housing units at an average density of 402.6 per square mile (155.5/km²). The racial composition of the city was: 75.67%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 12.76%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 11.16%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino American, 1.99%

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

, 0.55% Native American, 0.81% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 6.64% some other race, and 1.58%

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. There were 7,618 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,836, and the median income for a family was $42,687. Males had a median income of $29,118 versus $24,723 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $20,906. About 9.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The state of North Carolina is a major employer in Morganton. State-operated facilities located in Morganton include

Broughton Hospital Broughton Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in Morganton, North Carolina. It is administered by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services. ...

(a psychiatric hospital), the North Carolina School for the Deaf, and the second campus of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Other employers include furniture manufacturing facilities and businesses catering to the many tourists who travel through the area on Interstate 40 to nearby attractions in the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virg ...

Media

Radio * WCIS / 760 AM / Religious * WMNC / 1430 AM / Country * WMNC / 92.1 FM / Country * WHGW / 100.3 FM / Religious Print * The ''Morganton News Herald'' is the

daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

(circulation 12,000).

Education

Colleges and universities

* Western Piedmont Community College * Foothills Higher Education Center, occupied by Western Piedmont Community College's Division of Continuing Education and serves as a satellite campus for certain courses of study offered by

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

, Lees-McRae College, Montreat College and Western Carolina University.

Public schools

* Freedom High School * Robert L. Patton High School * Table Rock Middle School * Liberty Middle School * Walter R. Johnson Middle School * Glen Alpine Elementary School * Mull Elementary School * Hillcrest Elementary School * Chesterfield Elementary School * W. A. Young Elementary School * Burke Alternative School * College Street Academy * Salem Elementary School * Forest Hill Elementary School * Oak Hill Elementary School * Burke Middle College * Mountain View Elementary School * East Burke High School * Draughn High School

Private schools

* Morganton Day School * Silver Creek Adventist School

Charter schools

* New Dimensions Charter School

Specialized STEM schools

* North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Special education

* North Carolina School for the Deaf * North Liberty Middle School

Other institutions

* J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center

Recreation

15 miles outside of Morganton is Lake James, which is surrounded by the

. There are also multiple ski areas located approximately an hour from Morganton.

Golf courses

* Quaker Meadows Golf Course
closed
* Mimosa Hills Golf and Country Club * Silver Creek Plantation

Theatres

* Mimosa 7, a movie theater operated by Marquee Cinemas * City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium (CoMMA), a public auditorium that hosts plays, musicals, graduations, and other cultural and public events.

Parks

*Catawba Meadows Park is very close to downtown Morganton and has several baseball diamonds, beach volleyball courts, and other facilities. *Martha's Park in downtown Morganton features a splash pad, playground, and picnic area. *Freedom Park, adjacent to Freedom High School in Morganton, is a 30-acre park with multiple sports practice facilities (sand volleyball, football, soccer, baseball/softball), lighted tennis court, picnic shelters with grills, and a one-mile lighted track.

Notable people

* Isaac E. Avery, most remembered for the blood-stained note he wrote to his father before dying at Gettysburg during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

William Waightstill Avery William Waightstill Avery (1816–1864) was a North Carolina politician and lawyer. He served in the North Carolina House of Commons and State Senate prior to the U.S. Civil War. He represented North Carolina in the Provisional Confederate ...

, North Carolina politician and lawyer; brother of Isaac E. Avery * Etta Baker, guitarist and singer of the

Piedmont Blues Piedmont blues (also known as East Coast, or Southeastern blues) refers primarily to a guitar style, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melod ...

* Johnny Bristol, musician and

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

producer * Tod Robinson Caldwell, governor of North Carolina from 1871 to 1874 * Joe Cheves, professional golfer and member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame *

Warren Daniel Warren Daniel is an American politician who has served in the North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the low ...

, North Carolina State Senator * Kony Ealy, NFL defensive end * Robert C. Ervin, North Carolina Superior Court judge *

Sam Ervin Samuel James Ervin Jr. (September 27, 1896April 23, 1985) was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina from 1954 to 1974. A native of Morganton, he liked to call himself a "country lawyer", and often ...

, U.S. senator from 1954 to 1974, notable during the Joseph McCarthy hearings and Watergate hearings * Kerri Gardin, WNBA player *

Alfreda Gerald Alfreda Gerald is an American vocalist born in Morganton, North Carolina. Upon graduating from college, Gerald sang professional opera with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and the North Carolina Symphony ...

, vocalist and recording artist * Leon Johnson, former NFL running back for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

, and San Diego Chargers * Dwayne Ledford, offensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons * Bill Leslie, TV anchor WRAL News, New Age recording artist * Chad Lawson, classical and jazz pianist * Billy Joe Patton, amateur golfer and member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame * Woody Rich, former MLB player for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

and

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. Tommy Giles Rogers (born December 30, 1980 in Morganton, North Carolina) is an American musician, most notable for being the lead vocalist, keyboardist and lyricist of the American progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me, which he co-fo ...

, lead singer and keyboardist for the metal band Between the Buried and Me * Frankie Silver, the first white woman to be capitally executed in North Carolina *

Paige Summers Paige Summers (born Nancy Ann Coursey) was an American adult model. She was a former '' Penthouse'' Pet of the Month and Pet of the Year. She moved with her family to Morganton, North Carolina and graduated from Freedom High School where her sen ...

, model * Isaac M. Taylor, physician and academic; father of musician

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

* Gladys Avery Tillett, political organizer, active in

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

and Equal Rights Amendment activismCarolyn Roff
"Gladys Love Avery Tillett"
''Dictionary of North Carolina Biography'', edited by William S. Powell (University of North Carolina Press 1996).
John E. Fleming
nationally recognized museum director

References

External links

City website

''The Morganton News-Herald''
{{Authority control Cities in Burke County, North Carolina County seats in North Carolina Spanish colonization of the Americas Native American history of North Carolina North Carolina populated places on the Catawba River