History and formation of McDowell County:

McDowell was formed in 1842 from Rutherford and Burke Counties. It was named in honor of Colonel Joseph McDowell, an officer of the Revolution. It is situated in the west central part of North Carolina, bounded by Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Henderson, Mitchell, Rutherford, and Yancey counties. The court was ordered to be held at the home of Jonathan L. Carson until the county seat could be established. The act also named commissioners to select a site as near the center of the county as possible, acquire land, lay out a town by the name of Marion, and erect a courthouse. Marion is the county seat.

The formation of McDowell County:

This map shows North Carolina as it existed in 1841 before the creation of McDowell County.  Note the size and position of McDowell's parent counties, Burke (Bur) and Rutherford (Ru).

This map shows McDowell (McD) County in 1842 after its creation from Burke (Bur) and Rutherford (Ru) counties.

This map shows McDowell (McD) County in 1844 after it gained more territory from Rutherford(Ru) County.  This is the shape of McDowell County today.

These maps were supplied through the generosity of Gold Bug Historic Maps & Software. Visit their website at http://www.goldbug.com for historic map reproductions, downloadable maps, product info & demos, links to US and Canadian Geographic Servers and other interesting sites.

Special thanks to Art Lassagne for his help!

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