Historic Burke Foundation promotes knowledge of local culture and history through educational programming and historic site preservation.
The seed for the formation of Historic Burke Foundation came from the Historical Buildings Committee of the Morganton Service League. The committee, headed in 1978 by Mary Adair Phifer (Mrs. Edward W., Jr.), was instrumental in getting support for the preservation of the Historic Burke County Courthouse. Within a few years, the committee had increased in size. As a result, Historic Burke Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization, was chartered in 1982. Barbara Cornwell Norvell (Mrs. Jerry T., Jr.) was elected the organization’s first president.