The original 1899 Beaux-Arts courthouse is nearby but this is the current Iredell County courthouse…read morethat was completed in 1971. It is a modern white-brick structure with a minimalist design featuring vertical pillars and narrow windows. The two-story building faces south and is named as the Hall of Justice and houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 22nd Judicial District. On the grounds are WWI and WWII memorials as well as one for the Korean and Vietnam wars. There is plenty of parking nearby. [Review 523 of 2025 - 4122 in North Carolina - 24084 overall]

Home is where the heart is. While I practice in Charlotte, I occasionally get a case in my…read morehometown. Iredell County courthouse is two stories in the main building and an annex building, where more domestic cases are heard (child support, divorce, etc.). While the facilities are a little..... antique, everything is clean. More important, the clerks are knowledgeable and VERY kind and patient. Actually, everyone I've encountered here is. If you need to come up here, be on time for court, bring all documents relevant to your case, and be patient and kind. Courts are slow. We're pursuing justice here.

I noticed the historical marker before I spotted this classic historic house and pulled in…read more Unfortunately, the museum was closed today but I did manage to examine the house from a few angles and it is pretty cool. I will need to come back when I can tour the museum properly. The marker reads, "Mundy House. Built between 1850 and 1870 by descendants of a Revolutionary War soldier and Methodist minister Jeremiah Mundy (1760-1835); One of the founding families of the Rock Springs Methodist Camp Meeting grounds in Denver; The R.O. Mundy family owned the property until the 1990s; Gravesites at the Denver Community Cemetery and Bethel United Methodist Church." The Mundy House is one of the few remaining historic houses in eastern Lincoln County, and it stands a local landmark that documents the history of the Mundy family and the development of Denver during the nineteenth century. The Mundy House is a central-hall house that maintains much of its original architectural integrity. It represents a house form that was ubiquitous in the county during the last half of the nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth century, but nearly all of these houses have fallen into disrepair by abandonment and neglect or have been substantially altered with artificial siding, replacement windows, and unsympathetic modern additions. Preservation of the Mundy House is necessary for educating people about local history, historic preservation, and architecture. [Review 15905 overall - 3121 in North Carolina - 1410 of 2021.]

The Charters of Freedom monument is located on the north side of the Historic Burke County…read moreCourthouse in Downtown Morganton, NC. The Morganton Charters of Freedom were the first of many placed outside of Washington, D.C. The three limestone and concrete pedestals hold the bronze life-size replicas of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Burke County residents Vance and Mary Jo Patterson gifted this to the community with their non-profit Foundation Forward. They wanted to duplicate what they experienced seeing and reading the documents in Washington, D.C., for their community, knowing that most people wouldn't get an opportunity to see the documents in Washington, D.C., but still could get to learn about them and see them in person. Having the documents near the Sam J Ervin Jr. Memorial is fitting, as "Senator Sam" spent his entire legal and congressional life defending the Constitution. He was the go-to authority in the Senate whenever a complex constitutional question came up. The Charters of Freedom also hold a time capsule that will be opened on the 300th Anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution, September 17, 2087. They put letters from government officials, historians, educators and the Pattersons, among other tributes America is the land of the free and the home of the brave as long as the words contained in the documents are understood and upheld.

"We the People..."…read more These three words hit a little harder when you're standing in front of the Charters of Freedom installation at the Historic Burke County Courthouse in Morganton. They're the opening to the document that defines who we are as a country and seeing them displayed right here in front of a courthouse where laws were once interpreted and enforced feels exactly right. These installations always impress me, but this one has an extra layer of meaning because of the setting. This two-century-old courthouse has that solid, dignified presence and the replicas of the Declaration, Constitution and Bill of Rights fits the space like they were meant to be here from the beginning. I've visited a handful of these Charters of Freedom sites and every time I am struck by how accessible and respectful they are. You can walk right up, read the text, and take a moment to appreciate the ideas that make America America. And even though the current judicial center is a few blocks away, the symbolism still works. Maybe it works even better. This is the historic courthouse, the one that watched generations of life unfold, and having the founding documents here feels like a bridge between the past and the principles that still guide us. It also creates an interesting counterpoint to the nearby Confederate soldier monument. The two pieces sit within sight of each other, but they tell very different stories. One is about the nation's founding ideals and the rights guaranteed to everyone. The other reflects a specific chapter of Southern memory and the complicated history that comes with it. Standing between them, you can feel the conversation of how public spaces hold multiple layers of history at once. And that's part of what makes this installation worth stopping for. [Review 547 of 2026 - 4642 in North Carolina - 25729 overall]