Nu-Wray Inn
Why it's listed
Along the south side of the Burnsville Town Green, the Nu-Wray Inn grew from an early nineteenth-century tavern into a long, L-shaped frame hostelry. Local tradition credits Backhaus Smith with the original building in the early 1830s, and surviving mantels and panelled doors suggest a finish unusual for the mountains at that time. Garrett and Elizabeth Ray doubled its floor space after the Civil War and renamed it Ray's Inn, and William and Julia Wray added the rear ell, gable portico and Colonial Revival detailing between 1915 and 1917. The inn is regarded as important because it served travellers, county officials and visitors to the mountains for generations, and because its building stages record the region's architectural development. Its long association with regional hospitality, especially its meals, made it widely known across the Southern Appalachians through the twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the inn is significant as a surviving mountain inn central to travel, communication and early tourism in western North Carolina, tied to the founding of Yancey County and Burnsville. Its architecture embodies three construction stages, including late Georgian interior detail considered unusual for the mountain region and Colonial Revival work of the early twentieth century.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82003535, listed April 15, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Off US 19E, Burnsville |
|---|---|
| County | Yancey County |
| Listed | April 15, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003535 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1833-1915 |
| Architectural style | Late Georgian interior features; Victorian additions; Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The inn remains with the Wray family and operates as an inn; the document states it closes December 1 and reopens in the spring. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 35.91660, -82.29918 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82003535.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7067685
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.