Murphy North Carolina
"Cherokee County invites you to find your 'peace' of the mountains."
This county has a lot of history and is the home of seven sites
listed on the National Register of Historic places. They include
the Cherokee County court house, made completely of marble, Harshaw
Chapel and Cemetery, and the John
C. Campbell Folk School, founded in 1925 and located in Brasstown,
North Carolina. The school offers week-long and weekend courses
in crafts, music and dance, blacksmithing, woodcarving, art and
more.
Cherokee County has three public lakes. Hiawassee
lake which has 163 miles of shoreline and whose dam is the
highest overspill dam in the world at 307 feet. Appalachia Lake
is surrounded by US Forest Service land and public access is limited,
which leads to more enjoyment for the residents who do own the
small amount of private land available to purchase there. Then
there is Cherokee lake which is about a mile in circumference
and offers an easy handicap access fishing pier. A third of the
county's total land mass is comprised of the Nantahala
National Forest where tracts are set aside for camping, horseback
riding, nature trails and many other recreational purposes.
With two main townships, Cherokee County has a larger population then
nearby Clay County. Dispersed throughout the large county, the
population according to the 2000 census was 24,298. The county
seat, Murphy, has a population of about 1568 and the township
of Andrews has about 1602.
Of the many recreational things to do in the county two of the long
standing annual events are the Wagon Train and the Jeep
Jamboree. The Wagon Train was started back in 1958 with 67
wagons and 325 riders who wanted to emphasize the need for road
improvements. Today it is just for fun as every forth of July
riders relive the event.
The Jeep
Jamboree had it's 20th year last fall and is so popular that
it now scheduled twice a year, spring 2005 is still be announced.
The next fall Jamboree is scheduled for October 9th and 10th.
Jeep owners from all over the country come to Murphy to ride some
of the best jeep trails around, rated from 5 to 9 in difficulty.
Rock climbing, hill climbing and stream crossing are all part
of the fun.
Cherokee county wouldn't be complete without their four huge flea markets.
Shopping deals abound in these year round markets, and is a lot
of fun for the whole family.
So visit Murphy's historical sites, or drive the scenic byways or
just sit back and enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains. Find
your "peace " of the mountains.
Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce
805 West US 64 • Murphy NC 28906
(828) 837-2242 • fax (828) 837-6012
info@cherokeecountychamber.com
(In order to prevent hardship of
spam email to the chamber you will need to cut and paste this
email address in your email program)
