Town of Murfreesboro

Murfreesboro is situated on the banks of the Meherrin River at the point where ship passage ends, and land travel must begin.  That geographical placement was a formative part of Murfreesboro's history since ships were the safest and most efficient means of travel in the early days of this country.

European explorers from both the Roanoke colony and Jamestown had sailed up the Chowan River and seen the forests and Native American villages near the area where Murfreesboro stands today.  Gradually, over the next 150 years, settlers brought their families and carved out homesteads along the banks of the river and creeks that fed Albemarle Sound.  As trade began to develop, certain landing areas were established as "King's Landings, where a customs-style accounting of goods was undertaken.  One such port was Murfree's landing - home of William Murfree.  His son, Hardy, was an enterprising planter who hoped someday to link Murfreesboro by canal to Hampton Roads as well as trading points farther west.  In 1787 the North Carolina legislature incorporated Murfreesboro.

As the settlement grew, trade items from the Northern colonies, the West Indies, and England were off-loaded to make room for the tar, turpentine, lumber, cotton, salt herring and tobacco being shipped out from the area.  The New England captains whose ships carried the bulk of the trade found Murfreesboro to be a very receptive port.  Gradually a number of these merchant/captains shifted their base of operations to the town of Meherrin.  They built homes and businesses, just as they had in New York and Boston.  Architecturally, the growing town began to look like one of the New England seaports.

A concept of adaptive reuse has been explored in order to modernize and develop the town without wiping away the unique character of the town's New England style architecture.  The first major project was the refurbishing of the Roberts-Vaughan House.  The house, built in the 1840's, was reconstructed to become a Village Center, housing the town library, the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Historical Association's headquarters.  Other projects were undertaken, including the restoration of the earliest brick commercial building in North Carolina, the William Rea Store.  Today the building serves as a museum, where collections display artifacts from the area's early Native American culture, the shipping and trading industry, the agricultural life in 18^th and 19^th century Murfreesboro, as well as the many different architectural styles represented in the town's historical buildings.

The renaissance in Murfreesboro is well underway.  It is a rebirth of the spirit and vitality of the early town, a discovery of the heritage, grace and promise of the town today.  The commitment of the citizens of Murfreesboro to preserve and protect these natural and historic assets is a gift to all who are invited to experience the dynamic renaissance of Murfreesboro in the future.