The Heritage Museum, located in the Old Burke County Courthouse, has a permanent exhibit on the history of the Old Courthouse and the court system as well as a gallery featuring changing exhibits on various aspects of Burke County history.

The permanent exhibit also includes information on the North Carolina Supreme justices who held summer sessions of the Supreme Court in the Courthouse from 1847 to 1862. Also in this area is a representation of an attorney’s office around the turn of the twentieth century. The furniture and related items were donated by the family and friends of the late Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr.

A 20-minute audiovisual presentation on the heritage of Burke County is shown in the upstairs courtroom. The presentation includes information on the different ethnic groups who settled the county and provides a brief overview of the history of the county and its significant buildings.

The current gallery exhibit “North Carolina School for the Deaf: Then and Now” focuses on the rich history of the North Carolina School for the Deaf.  The exhibit was made possible through a collaborative effort of Historic Burke Foundation and the North Carolina School for the Deaf Historical Museum.  

The exhibit committee included volunteers Lynne Galvin, Coordinator/Instructor of Interior Design at Western Piedmont Community College and Paisley Holloway, a student in Interior Design at Western Piedmont. 

The exhibit was mounted with invaluable assistance from Terrell Finley, Director of Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort, and Matthew Provancha , Museum Technician/Mount Maker with Mountain Gateway Museum.

The Old Burke County Courthouse sits on the square bounded by Green, Union, Sterling and Meeting Streets in downtown Morganton.

Take Exit 105 off I-40.