Murfreesboro, North Carolina

Murfreesboro, North Carolina
Town
East Main Street
Location of Murfreesboro, North Carolina
Coordinates: 36°26′31″N77°05′48″W / 36.44194°N 77.09667°W / 36.44194; -77.09667
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Hertford
Area [1]
• Total	2.32 sq mi (6.01 km2)
• Land	2.27 sq mi (5.88 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation [2]	79 ft (24 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,619
• Density	1,153.74/sq mi (445.48/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	27855
Area code	252
FIPS code	37-45640 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2406219 [2]
Website	www.townofmurfreesboro.com

Murfreesboro is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,835 at the 2010 census. ^[4] The town is home to Chowan University.

Geography

Murfreesboro is located in northwestern Hertford County on high ground south of the Meherrin River. U.S. Route 258 runs through the eastern end of the town, and U.S. Route 158 bypasses the town to the south. US-258 leads southwest 51 miles (82 km) to Tarboro and northeast 21 miles (34 km) to Franklin, Virginia, while US-158 leads east 10 miles (16 km) to Winton, the Hertford county seat, and west 37 miles (60 km) to Roanoke Rapids.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²), of which 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²) are land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 2.27%, are water. ^[4]

Climate

Climate data for Murfreesboro, North Carolina (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1973–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	77 (25)	83 (28)	89 (32)	96 (36)	96 (36)	101 (38)	105 (41)	103 (39)	102 (39)	97 (36)	85 (29)	85 (29)	105 (41)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	49.7 (9.8)	53.3 (11.8)	59.8 (15.4)	69.8 (21.0)	76.8 (24.9)	84.2 (29.0)	87.7 (30.9)	85.7 (29.8)	80.7 (27.1)	71.3 (21.8)	61.4 (16.3)	53.4 (11.9)	69.5 (20.8)
Daily mean °F (°C)	39.2 (4.0)	41.9 (5.5)	47.7 (8.7)	57.7 (14.3)	65.8 (18.8)	74.0 (23.3)	77.9 (25.5)	75.9 (24.4)	70.5 (21.4)	59.7 (15.4)	49.4 (9.7)	42.5 (5.8)	58.5 (14.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	28.7 (−1.8)	30.5 (−0.8)	35.7 (2.1)	45.6 (7.6)	54.7 (12.6)	63.9 (17.7)	68.1 (20.1)	66.1 (18.9)	60.2 (15.7)	48.1 (8.9)	37.5 (3.1)	31.7 (−0.2)	47.6 (8.7)
Record low °F (°C)	−7 (−22)	−5 (−21)	13 (−11)	23 (−5)	32 (0)	42 (6)	48 (9)	43 (6)	36 (2)	23 (−5)	11 (−12)	1 (−17)	−7 (−22)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.72 (94)	2.81 (71)	3.88 (99)	3.50 (89)	3.97 (101)	4.99 (127)	5.52 (140)	5.64 (143)	5.11 (130)	3.82 (97)	3.20 (81)	3.47 (88)	49.63 (1,261)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.6 (1.5)	0.4 (1.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.6 (4.1)	2.6 (6.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	10.3	8.4	9.4	8.3	10.1	10.1	9.6	9.4	9.3	8.2	7.9	9.5	110.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.5	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.1
Source: NOAA [5] [6]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	466		—
1870	753		61.6%
1880	645		−14.3%
1890	674		4.5%
1900	657		−2.5%
1910	809		23.1%
1920	621		−23.2%
1930	1,000		61.0%
1940	1,550		55.0%
1950	2,140		38.1%
1960	2,643		23.5%
1970	4,418		67.2%
1980	3,007		−31.9%
1990	2,580		−14.2%
2000	2,045		−20.7%
2010	2,835		38.6%
2020	2,619		−7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

2020 census

Murfreesboro racial composition ^[8]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	939	35.85%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,346	51.39%
Native American	3	0.11%
Asian	19	0.73%
Other/Mixed	94	3.59%
Hispanic or Latino	218	8.32%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,619 people, 1,081 households, and 552 families residing in the town.

History

Before European settlement

The first recorded inhabitants of the area were Native Americans from the Nottoway, Meherrin and Chowanoke tribes. ^[9]

The first European known to visit the area was John White of the Roanoke Colony in the 16th century. It was also visited by an expedition from Jamestown, Virginia, in the 17th century. ^[9]

The last native inhabitants, the Chowanoke, were expelled after warring with the English in 1675 and 1676. After that, they were moved to a reservation east of the Chowan River in what is now Gates County. ^[10]

Colonial era to the American Revolution

The first known deed to property in the area is a land grant dated November 5, 1714, made to Henry Wheeler for a tract on the Meherrin River which included what is now Murfreesboro. Several other transactions quickly followed, and in 1735 Joseph Parker founded the Meherrin Church. It is the second-oldest Baptist church in North Carolina ^[9] (now known as Meherrin Baptist Church).

On May 27, 1746, James Jordon Scott sold 150 acres (0.61 km²) on the Meherrin River (part of Wheeler's original grant) to an Irish immigrant, William Murfree from Nansemond County, Virginia. On December 12, 1754, the General Assembly designated Murfree's Landing as a King's Landing, where imports and exports would be inspected by a representative of the King. ^[9]

Revolution to the American Civil War

Portrait of Banastre Tarleton by Sir Joshua Reynolds

On July 17, 1781, British forces led by Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion attacked Maney's Neck near Murfree's Landing. William Murfree's son, Hardy Murfree, led a local militia that repulsed the attack at Skinner's Bridge. ^[9]

William Murfree contributed 97 acres (39 ha) of land surrounding Murfree's Landing in 1787 to the growing settlement to form a town. The town was chartered by the General Assembly and renamed Murfreesboro on January 6, 1787. ^{[9] [11]} This act also provided for the establishment of a public dock, as the town was located at the northernmost point of navigation on the Meherrin River. ^[9]

Murfreesboro was designated by the US Congress in 1790 as an official port of entry, and the customs records indicate a profitable three-cornered trade with New England and the West Indies.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 1809, the Hertford Academy was established in Murfreesboro, opening in 1811 for male students. In 1814, Harriet Sketchly and Martha Sketchly arrived and expanded the female department of the academy considerably. By 1849, it was renamed as the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, the forerunner of Chowan University. ^[12]

In 1831 Murfreesboro was among towns that sent armed forces (these were led by Captain Solon Borland) to Southampton County, Virginia, to quell Nat Turner's slave rebellion. ^[13] As a result of these events, Virginia and North Carolina reduced the rights of free blacks, prohibiting education of both free blacks and slaves.

Education

Riverview Elementary School and Hertford County Middle School, both of which are part of the Hertford County Public Schools system.

Chowan University, a small Baptist university, is located in Murfreesboro.

Commerce

Murfreesboro is no longer an active port. The last commercial vessel to operate on a regular basis was a Texaco Oil barge; it ceased service to the town in October 1966. ^[9]

The town is served by the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald newspaper, which is based in nearby Ahoskie.

Attractions

Numerous buildings of the town, mostly grand houses, are on the National Register of Historic Places: the David A. Barnes House, The Cedars, The Columns, Cowper-Thompson House, Freeman House, Melrose, Myrick House, Myrick-Yeates-Vaughan House, Francis Parker House, William Rea Store, Roberts-Vaughan House, and John Wheeler House. In addition, Princeton Site and the Murfreesboro Historic District are listed on the NRHP. ^{[14] [15]}

The John Wheeler House is identified as the birthplace of John Hill Wheeler, a planter and politician who served as Minister to Nicaragua and North Carolina State Treasurer. In 2013 it was established that Hannah Bond, a slave who escaped to the North and wrote The Bondwoman's Narrative under the name of Hannah Crafts, had been held by him as a domestic servant. She escaped around 1857 from his plantation and wrote her manuscript on paper traced to his library. It was found in the early 21st century, authenticated and published for the first time in 2002 as the first known novel by an African-American woman. ^[16]

The old Murfreesboro public school (which housed grades 1 - 12 until 1972) has been redeveloped as the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum. It houses the collections of Brady Jefcoat, a Raleigh native. It includes hundreds of well-preserved ordinary items from the late 19th and early 20th century, including functional phonographs, radios, washing machines, and agricultural implements, as well as a wide variety of other novelties. ^[17]

Notable people

• William Hill Brown, author of the first American novel. ^[18]
• Tim Cofield, former NFL and CFL linebacker ^[19]
• Sallie Southall Cotten, writer and clubwoman ^[20]
• Curtis Deloatch, former cornerback in the NFL ^[21]
• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an Al Qaeda leader, attended Chowan University in 1983 ^[22]
• Hardy Murfree, lieutenant colonel from North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War ^[23]
• Julian Myrick, insurance salesman and promoter of tennis ^[24]
• William N. H. Smith, Democratic congressman and North Carolina Supreme Court justice ^[25]
• Dwight Stephenson, center in the NFL, 5x First Team All-Pro selection and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame ^[26]
• Fred Vinson, former NBA player and current coach ^[27]
• John H. Wheeler, first United States ambassador to Nicaragua and head of the United States Mint ^[9]

See also

• Roanoke-Chowan Pork-Fest
• North Carolina Watermelon Festival
• Chowan University

External links

• Town of Murfreesboro official website
• Murfreesboro Historic Association

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Murfreesboro, North Carolina
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Murfreesboro town, North Carolina". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
5. "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
6. "Station: Murfreesboro, NC". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
9. Stephenson, Frank E. Jr. (December 1986). Murfreesboro, North Carolina: 200 Years on the Meherrin River. Murfreesboro, North Carolina: Town of Murfreesboro. pp. 5–9.
10. Parramore, Thomas C. (1969). The Ancient Maritime Village of Murfreesborough: 1787-1825. Murfreesboro, North Carolina: Johnson Publishing Company. p. 11. ISBN   0-930230-02-7.
11. Parramore, Thomas C. (2001). Murfreesboro, North Carolina and the Founding of the American Republic 1608-1871. Murfreesboro, North Carolina: Murfreesboro Historicall Association, Inc. p. 1.
12. Dr. Thomas C., Parramore (1969). The Ancient Maritime Village of Murfreesborough: 1787-1825. Murfreesboro, North Carolina: Johnson Publishing Company. pp. 52, 69. ISBN   0-930230-02-7.
13. Parramore, Dr. Thomas C. (1998). Trial Separation: Murfreesboro, North Carolina and the Civil War. Murfreesboro, North Carolina: Murfreesboro Historical Association, Inc. p. 10. LCCN   00503566.
14. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
15. "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 6/09/14 through 6/13/14. National Park Service. June 20, 2014.
16. Bosman, Julie (September 18, 2013). "Professor Says He Has Solved a Mystery Over a Slave's Novel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
17. "The Brady C. Jefcoat Museum". Murfreesboro Historical Association. 2007. Archived from the original on January 31, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
18. Parramore, Thomas C., "Brown, William Hill", Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, (William S. Powell, ed.) 1979. University of North Carolina Press
19. Tim Cofield Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
20. Sallie Southall Cotten. docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
21. "Curtis Deloatch". Carolina Panthers. NFL Enterprises LLC. 2007. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
22. Eggen, Dan (July 27, 2004). "9/11 Report Says Plotter Saw Self as Superterrorist". Washington Post. pp. A1.^{[ dead link ]}
23. Col. Hardy Murfree. Tennessee Portrait Project. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
24. Julian Myrick - International Tennis Hall of Fame. International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
25. "SMITH, William Nathan Harrell, (1812 - 1889)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . United States Congress . Retrieved May 14, 2018.
26. Dwight Stephenson - The Pro Football Archives. The Pro Football Archives. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
27. Fred Vinson. Chowan University. Retrieved 24 June 2019.