Has to make a trek out to Bunker Hills Covered Bridge one afternoon recently, to enjoy the fall day…read moreand see on of the last and few remaining covered truss bridges left. Built in 1894 and covered in 1900, this one hundred plus year old landmark sits quietly off in the distance on an off beaten path. There is paved parking close but you must walk in a short distance to see the actual structure. Its covered in graffiti now but still standing, strong timbers and heavy wood beams with a heavy wooden two runner lane path. Its not in service any longer but is still walkable. We stopped and admired this century plus old bridge and then took a slow stroll across it, thinking about all the people from eras long ago that had walked before where we were walking. A Solid 4 Stars - Worth the effort and journey, if you like history, old bridges or unique structures and architecture 01171

The Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, was built in 1895, it is one of the last covered bridges in the…read morestate and the only one still in its original spot. The construction is using a unique lattice pattern made of wooden beams. Stretching 85 feet across Lyle Creek, its red, weathered look makes it a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. It is worth a stop if you are in the area, but it is very unfortunate that people have taken something historical to tag it with graffiti over the years.

This marker is located at the intersection of Gold Hill Road and North Carolina Route 73. It…read morerecalls an early clergyman in the area. It reads, "Samuel Suther. Early minister of German Reformed Church in N.C., 1768-1782. Preached at Coldwater Union Church which stood 500 yards north." Online, there is more information. "As with many of North Carolina's early immigrants, Samuel Suther arrived in the western piedmont with the tide of Germans moving southward along the Great Wagon Road. Born in Switzerland, Suther arrived in 1738 after a shipwreck off the coast of Virginia claimed the lives of his family members. He moved to Philadelphia where he taught German and then to Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he began serving as a German Reformed minister for Lutheran and Reformed congregations in both North and South Carolina. In 1768, he was ordered from his post at Coldwater Church in modern Cabarrus County by Governor William Tryon to preach to the Rowan and Mecklenburg militia during the War of the Regulation." "By 1771, Suther had moved to present-day Guilford County to preach to a combined congregation at Low's Lutheran Church. An outspoken proponent for the rights of colonists to protest English government, Suther, through his activism, forced a break in the congregation. The resulting split led to Suther and his followers leaving Low's to form their own church, Brick Church, near the site of the Battle of Alamance. Because of his patriotic fervor and his Revolutionary message, Suther and his congregation were targets for Loyalist attacks that eventually drove him from his home and destroyed his farm. After the war, Suther returned to Coldwater Church and others in that region before returning to South Carolina two years before his death in 1788." "Suther is credited by scholars as being the driving force for the survival of the German Reformed Church in North Carolina, owing to his efforts to seek support of northern Reformed congregations for their southern brethren who were struggling to keep the church alive in the face of war." [Review 14393 overall, 1718 of 2020, number 2718 in North Carolina.]

Located just around the corner from the historic Iredell County Courthouse, this marker points out…read morea business that no longer stands in Statesville. Marker M-57 reads, "Wallace Brothers Herbarium. World renowned supplier of medicinal herbs, barks, berries & roots. Est. by Jewish immigrants, 1871. One block NW until 1942." David and Isaac Wallace, German Jewish immigrants, built a thriving mercantile and herb-trading enterprise in Statesville beginning in 1859, eventually creating what became the world's largest herbarium. Their success was fueled by botanist Mordecai Hyams, whose Appalachian expeditions and training of rural pickers supplied thousands of plant varieties to distilleries, pharmaceutical companies and international markets. The Wallace Brothers gained national and international acclaim, earning gold medals at major exhibitions in Philadelphia and Paris and later appearing at the Chicago and Saint Louis World's Fairs. Their herb trade provided crucial income for struggling North Carolinians during the 1870s, though the company's bankruptcy in 1895 ended the family's dominance even as descendants carried the business into the mid-twentieth century. Despite the decline of herbal medicine, the legacy of the Wallaces and the Hyams endures through their contributions to botany, the founding of Statesville's Jewish congregation, and the preservation of thousands of plant specimens now held in major institutions. It is marker number M-57 and it was erected by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History in 2023. There is limited parking nearby. [Review 589 of 2026 - 4678 in North Carolina - 25770 overall]

This marker stands near the original site where the event took place. It has the same text on both…read moresides, reading , "Four black student-teachers from Unity High School led integration efforts at Woolworth's lunch counter, here, on March 15, 1960." It is marker number 41 and it was erected in 2025 by the NC African American Heritage Commission, William G. Pomeroy Foundation. In early 1960, downtown Statesville, like many cities in the South, still had segregated lunch counters, including the one inside Woolworth's on West Broad Street. Students at the black high school here in Statesville has been following the Greensboro sit-ins* closely. They walked into Woolworth's, sat down at the whites-only counter and asked to be served. They were refused, as expected, but they remained seated, calm, and orderly. Store management closed the counter rather than serve them, which was a common tactic used across the South. The students stayed long enough to make their point, then left without incident. No arrests were made, and the protest remained peaceful. [Review 591 of 2026 - 4680 in North Carolina - 25772 overall] * That lunch counter is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington!

Downtown Statesville provide you with a small town feel even though Statesville keep expanding. It…read morestill feels historic and North Carolina unlike Mooresville. Not a lot of shops or good restaurants. Mostly pawn shop and coffee shop from what I am seeing. More are coming though with more people moving into town. Free parking, always a plus. There are seasonal events from time to time to boost tourism in downtown. It

Downtown Statesville has improved dramatically over the past 5-10 years. Many new businesses and…read morenew parking is underway. There are festivals and activities regularly scheduled. Fun for the family during the day and for the adults in nightlife around downtown. I enjoy visiting the new places and patronizing those familiar places for local shopping. Downtown Statesville has a lot to offer for the young and old!

With monuments from Pennsylvania and Maine, dedicated to the soldiers from those states who came to…read morethe South to fight in the Civil War, this is a peaceful and quiet place. I was here on Memorial Day Weekend with all of the flags laid out. A great tribute to our military. Prior to being a cemetery, the land was an abandoned cotton mill before it was converted into a military prison. At one time, it held as many as 10,000 men and in such a tight area, there was disease. Many died from malnutrition and were buried in mass graves. It is a column place and I was glad to have visited on this weekend. You won't be able to miss the Federal Monument to the Unknown Dead, a 38 foot tall granite obelisk. There are a number of context markers that explain the layout and history. [Review 1123 of 2024 - 3618 in North Carolina - 22147 overall]

This cemetery is the historic, original national cemetery. It's operated and run by the main annex…read moreon Statesville Blvd. near the VA Center, but is worth stopping by for the historical significance. The minute I drove in I could see the difference: the large cast iron gates and stone perimeter fence, the multiple plaques and monument to the unknown soldiers, the Maine and Pennsylvania monuments honoring the soldiers from those states that died in the prison camps of the 1860s. There's a lot to see in this 12 acres. The trees and vegetation are larger, more established, and there's less of frenetic pace here than in the newer location. It's what you would expect, the immediate emotion evident in the newer locale is here replaced by the bittersweet sadness of monuments to those who may no longer have living relatives or any who can come by regularly. There were only a few people at this spot, all elderly, paying respects to Korean or Vietnam war vets, buried here just before the new annex opened. There's a stateliness about this spot and a more intimate feeling. It's beautifully maintained. The state has kept this location as well groomed as the newer national cemetery annex. It's a fascinating location to visit and pay respects, before or after visiting the new cemetery, and it matters little if you're a history buff or not.

Murray's Mill is easy to find from I-40. The gristmill was built in 1913 and the Murray & Minges…read morestore from the 1890s is also open. When you arrive, find a spot to park on either side of the street. Then go into the Murray & Minges General Store to pay for your self-guided tour. You will receive a binder to read through of the history and photos of the equipment and what it does. You can tour all three levels of the mill as there are stairs to the top floor and stairs to the basement. The mill used the barter system to grind wheat and corn. The water wheel is 28 foot high and 4 foot wide. the buckets on it have rusted so they are raising money for the needed repairs. The water wheel is attached by a shaft to a gear on the wall and powers everything in the mill except the lights. The mill is still operational and grinds on the 3rd Sunday of the month when it is warm enough. The stones weigh 2400 pounds and were used to cut corn and wheat. Leather belts were used and were pieced together to make them long enough. They could make 300 pounds of flour an hour which was much less than what modern mills could produce. 10 sets of pins are needed to make flour and roller mills are used to crush the wheat. Each screen has an elevator and each set basically sifts the flour to get it to where it needs to be. Making flour creates a white dust and that dust is explosive. If you are looking for a historic mill to visit this one is a great one to visit and learn how the mill operated.

A fun historical site, preserved so well & well worth the $7. Remarkable how industrious & sharp…read morethis family was. From a time when attention to detail was valued, all the chutes are made of wood with beveled edges & beadwork because...some of it is furniture quality. Pay your way & get the 3-ring binder of pics/info & step back in time. This is the heartbeat of America. "1965-1966 - Lloyd & brother Ernest run the milling operation by themselves to cut cost. In 1966 Lloyd let Ernest go & ran the whole mill on his own. Ernest went to work for Southern Furniture. 1967 - The mill closes due to government taxing. In 1964, the federal government levied a grain tariff that heavily taxed corn & wheat. Small mills were put out of business by larger industrial mills. Lloyd Murray had been working by himself for the last year, he locked up the mill & went home for the last time. He goes to work for Pinnacle Furniture Company. 1980/81 - With help from NC Preservation Fund & Stewart Family, the Catawba County Historical Assoc. purchases Murray's Mill, the General Store, & the Wheathouse for $68,000. 1982 - John Murray dies one month shy of his 105* birthday. At the time he had 10 children, 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, & 3 great-great-grandchildren. 1986 - Murray & Minges General Store reopens to the public. 1988, April 30 - Murray's Mill reopens to the public after a $2M restoration". That's just a taste of the recent info, go get a history lesson...wheel is still in the process of being replaced

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.]