The North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office's statewide inventory contains information on eighty-two prehistoric and historic archaeology sites in Avery County.
Avery County was included in a four-county regional reconnaissance survey of historic places in 1986. This survey was a cooperative local-state project accomplished with grants and staff assistance from the Historic Preservation Office.
Avery County received a total of $65,000 in a state appropriation for the Cranberry School in 1988 and 1994.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
There are five Avery County listings in the National Register of Historic Places: the Avery County Courthouse, the former Avery County Jail, Crossnore Presbyterian Church, the Ray Wiseman House, and the Linville Historic District.
Three income-producing tax credit projects have been completed in Avery County at a total construction investment of $371,200: the Eseeola Lodge, Hemlock Hedge, and Henley Inn. All are in the historic resort community of Linville. The Historic Preservation Office reviews and provides restoration technical services for all rehabilitation tax credit projects.
The Historic Preservation Office has provided technical restoration assistance to the Cranberry School, Crossnore Presbyterian Church, Old Newland School Gymnasium, Old Elkland School Gymnasium, the Avery County Courthouse, and the Old Avery County Jail. Staff has worked with the town of Crossnore as a follow-up to a study of community resources co-sponsored by Handmade in America, and provided technical assistance to the old Crossnore Hospital which was abandoned in 1999.