Murfreesboro, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Murfreesboro is a town in Hertford County
, North Carolina
, United States
. The population was 2,045 at the 2000 census. Murfreesboro is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks
region.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.82%) is water.
of 2000, there were 2,045 people, 919 households, and 574 families residing in the town. The population density
was 946.7 people per square mile (365.5/km²). There were 986 housing units at an average density of 456.4 per square mile (176.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 60.00% White, 37.56% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.93% from other races
, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population.
There were 919 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples
living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,716, and the median income for a family was $43,417. Males had a median income of $31,392 versus $21,523 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,054. About 11.5% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
from tribes such as Nottoways
, Meherrin
s and Chowanoke
s.
The first European to visit the area was John White of Roanoke Colony
in the 16th century. It was also visited by an expedition from Jamestown, Virginia
in the 17th century.
The last native inhabitants, the Chowanokes, 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, North Carolina
.
which included what is now Murfreesboro. Several other transactions quickly followed and in 1735, Joseph Parker founded the Meherrin Church, making it the second oldest Baptist church in North Carolina. (now known as the Meherrin Baptist Church)
On May 27, 1746, James Jordon Scott sold 150 acre (0.607029 km²) on the Meherrin River, (part of Wheeler's original grant) to an Irish immigrant, William Murfree of 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.
and Tarleton's Raiders
attacked Maney's Neck near Murfree's Landing. William Mufree's son, Hardy Murfree
led a local militia that repulsed the attack at Skinner's Bridge.
William Murfree contributed 97 acres (392,545.4 m²) of land surrounding Murfree's Landing in 1787 to the growing settlement to form a town. The town was chartered by the General Assmebly and renamed Murfreesboro on January 6, 1787. 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.
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.
In 1809, the Hertford Academy was established in Murfreesboro and opened for business in 1811. In 1814, Harriet Sketchly and Martha Sketchly arrived and expanded the female department of the academy considerably so that by 1849, it became the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, the forerunner of Chowan University
.
In 1831 Murfreesboro sent armed forces led by Captain Solon Borland to Southampton County, Virginia
to quell Nat Turner's slave rebellion.
, a small Baptist
university, is located in Murfreesboro. Local children may attend Riverview Elementary School and Hertford County Middle School, both of which are part of the Hertford County Public School system.
Oil barge that ceased service to the town in October 1966.
The town is served by the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald
Newspaper which is based in nearby Ahoskie
.
housing the collections of Brady Jefcoat, a Raleigh, North Carolina
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.
, and a public boat landing on the edge of town offers easy access to the Meherrin River
, which in turn flows into the larger Chowan River
a few miles downstream.
Highlights of town events include the annual North Carolina Watermelon Festival
, the annual Roanoke-Chowan Pork-Fest
barbecue
competition held on the grounds of the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum
each May, as well as July 4 fireworks celebration. There is also an annual all-night-long Relay For Life
fundraiser festival each April. Each year in the few weeks before Christmas, a candlelit tour of historic homes in the town is conducted. There is also an annual Christmas parade featuring local businesses and churches.
Hertford County, North Carolina
-Townships:The county is divided into six townships:Ahoskie, Como, Harrellsville, Murfreesboro, St. Johns and Winton.-Towns:*Ahoskie*Cofield*Como*Harrellsville*Murfreesboro*Winton-Demographics:...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,045 at the 2000 census. Murfreesboro is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks
Inner Banks
The Inner Banks is a term used by some to describe the inland coastal region of eastern North Carolina, an area on the East Coast of the United States that is 22,227 square-miles by its broadest definition...
region.
Geography
Murfreesboro is located at 36°26′28"N 77°5′49"W (36.440983, -77.096901).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.82%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,045 people, 919 households, and 574 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 946.7 people per square mile (365.5/km²). There were 986 housing units at an average density of 456.4 per square mile (176.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 60.00% White, 37.56% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.93% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population.
There were 919 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,716, and the median income for a family was $43,417. Males had a median income of $31,392 versus $21,523 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $17,054. About 11.5% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
Before European Settlement
The first residents of the area, now known as Murfreesboro, were Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
from tribes such as Nottoways
Nottoway Tribe
The Nottoway, in their own language Cheroenhaka, Cherohakah, Cheroohoka or Tcherohaka, are an Iroquoian-language tribe of Virginia Indians. Two Nottoway groups, the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia and the Cheroenhaka Indian Tribe, have both been recognized as tribes by the state of Virginia...
, Meherrin
Meherrin
The Meherrin Nation is one of eight state-recognized Nations of Native Americans in North Carolina. They reside in rural northeastern North Carolina, near the river of the same name on the Virginia-North Carolina border. They received formal state recognition in 1986. The Meherrin have an...
s and Chowanoke
Chowanoke
The Chowanoke, also spelled Chowanoc, was an Algonquian-language American Indian tribe. They were the largest and most powerful Algonquian tribe in present-day North Carolina, occupying most or all of the coastal banks of the Chowan River in the northeastern part of the state at time of the first...
s.
The first European to visit the area was John White of Roanoke Colony
Roanoke Colony
The Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island in Dare County, present-day North Carolina, United States was a late 16th-century attempt to establish a permanent English settlement in what later became the Virginia Colony. The enterprise was financed and organized by Sir Walter Raleigh and carried out by...
in the 16th century. It was also visited by an expedition from Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
in the 17th century.
The last native inhabitants, the Chowanokes, were expelled after warring with the English in 1675 and 1676. After that, they were moved to a reservation east of the Chowan River
Chowan River
The Chowan River is a blackwater river formed with the merging of Virginia's Blackwater and Nottoway rivers near the stateline between Virginia and North Carolina. According to the USGS a variant name is Choan River....
in what is now Gates County, North Carolina
Gates County, North Carolina
Gates County is a small rural county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 12,197. Its county seat is Gatesville. It is part of the Albemarle Sound area of the Inner Banks...
.
The Beginning of Settlement to the American Revolution
The first known deed to property in the area is a land grant dated November 5, 1714 to Henry Wheeler for a tract on the Meherrin RiverMeherrin River
The Meherrin River is a long river in the U.S. states of Virginia and North Carolina. It begins in central Virginia, about northwest of Emporia, and flows roughly east-southeast into North Carolina, where it joins the larger Chowan River....
which included what is now Murfreesboro. Several other transactions quickly followed and in 1735, Joseph Parker founded the Meherrin Church, making it the second oldest Baptist church in North Carolina. (now known as the Meherrin Baptist Church)
On May 27, 1746, James Jordon Scott sold 150 acre (0.607029 km²) on the Meherrin River, (part of Wheeler's original grant) to an Irish immigrant, William Murfree of Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County is an extinct county which was located in Virginia Colony and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, from 1646 until 1972...
. 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.
Revolution to the American Civil War
On July 17, 1781, British forces led by Banastre TarletonBanastre Tarleton
General Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British soldier and politician.He is today probably best remembered for his military service during the American War of Independence. He became the focal point of a propaganda campaign claiming that he had fired upon surrendering Continental...
and Tarleton's Raiders
Tarleton's Raiders
The British Legion was the name given to a British provincial regiment established during the American Revolution and composed of Loyalist American infantry and cavalry...
attacked Maney's Neck near Murfree's Landing. William Mufree's son, Hardy Murfree
Hardy Murfree
Hardy Murfree was a Lieutenant Colonel from North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War.Murfree was born at Murfree's Landing, North Carolina, later renamed Murfreesboro, where he lived for most of his adult life. His parents were William Murfree and Mary Moore...
led a local militia that repulsed the attack at Skinner's Bridge.
William Murfree contributed 97 acres (392,545.4 m²) of land surrounding Murfree's Landing in 1787 to the growing settlement to form a town. The town was chartered by the General Assmebly and renamed Murfreesboro on January 6, 1787. 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.
Murfreesboro was designated by the US Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1790 as an official port of entry
Port of entry
In general, a port of entry is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has a staff of people who check passports and visas and inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. International airports are usually ports of entry, as are road and rail crossings on a...
, and the customs
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
records indicate a profitable three-cornered trade with New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and the West Indies.
In 1809, the Hertford Academy was established in Murfreesboro and opened for business in 1811. In 1814, Harriet Sketchly and Martha Sketchly arrived and expanded the female department of the academy considerably so that by 1849, it became the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, the forerunner of Chowan University
Chowan University
- Other Notable Former Students :* Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, confessed architect of the September 11 attacks.- External links :* *...
.
In 1831 Murfreesboro sent armed forces led by Captain Solon Borland to Southampton County, Virginia
Southampton County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 18,570 people, 6,279 households, and 4,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 7,058 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
to quell Nat Turner's slave rebellion.
Education
Chowan UniversityChowan University
- Other Notable Former Students :* Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, confessed architect of the September 11 attacks.- External links :* *...
, a small Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
university, is located in Murfreesboro. Local children may attend Riverview Elementary School and Hertford County Middle School, both of which are part of the Hertford County Public School system.
Commerce
Murfreesboro is no longer an active port. The last commercial vessel to operate on a regular basis was a TexacoTexaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
Oil barge that ceased service to the town in October 1966.
The town is served by the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald
Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald
The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald is a newspaper that serves the rural North Carolina communities of Bertie, Hertford, Northampton and Gates counties, including the towns of Ahoskie, Murfreesboro and Windsor....
Newspaper which is based in nearby Ahoskie
Ahoskie, North Carolina
Ahoskie is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina. The population was 4,523 at the 2000 census. Ahoskie is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. Its nickname is "The Only One" because no other town in the world is known by the same name...
.
Attractions
The old Murfreesboro public school (which housed grades 1 - 12 until 1972) has been remodeled into the Brady C. Jefcoat MuseumBrady C. Jefcoat Museum
The Brady C. Jefcoat Museum of Americana is a museum in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. Operated by the Murfreesboro Historical Association, the museum houses a collection of American artifacts from the 1850s to the 1950s collected by Brady C...
housing the collections of Brady Jefcoat, a Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making 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.
Entertainment
A different musical group performs on the first Saturday of each month at the auditorium behind the Brady C. Jefcoat MuseumBrady C. Jefcoat Museum
The Brady C. Jefcoat Museum of Americana is a museum in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. Operated by the Murfreesboro Historical Association, the museum houses a collection of American artifacts from the 1850s to the 1950s collected by Brady C...
, and a public boat landing on the edge of town offers easy access to the Meherrin River
Meherrin River
The Meherrin River is a long river in the U.S. states of Virginia and North Carolina. It begins in central Virginia, about northwest of Emporia, and flows roughly east-southeast into North Carolina, where it joins the larger Chowan River....
, which in turn flows into the larger Chowan River
Chowan River
The Chowan River is a blackwater river formed with the merging of Virginia's Blackwater and Nottoway rivers near the stateline between Virginia and North Carolina. According to the USGS a variant name is Choan River....
a few miles downstream.
Highlights of town events include the annual North Carolina Watermelon Festival
North Carolina Watermelon Festival
The North Carolina Watermelon Festival is an annual celebration of the watermelon started in 1985 in Murfreesboro, North Carolina.-Activities:Each year the festival has grown, and the four-day event now includes:* a parade* numerous musical performances...
, the annual Roanoke-Chowan Pork-Fest
Roanoke-Chowan Pork-Fest
The Roanoke-Chowan Pork-Fest is an annual event held each May on the grounds of the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum in Murfreesboro, North Carolina.Largely a barbecue cooking contest, funds from the event benefit the maintenance and operation of the Museum. In 2010, the first place prize was awarded as a...
barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
competition held on the grounds of the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum
Brady C. Jefcoat Museum
The Brady C. Jefcoat Museum of Americana is a museum in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. Operated by the Murfreesboro Historical Association, the museum houses a collection of American artifacts from the 1850s to the 1950s collected by Brady C...
each May, as well as July 4 fireworks celebration. There is also an annual all-night-long Relay For Life
Relay For Life
Relay For Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace...
fundraiser festival each April. Each year in the few weeks before Christmas, a candlelit tour of historic homes in the town is conducted. There is also an annual Christmas parade featuring local businesses and churches.
Famous residents
- Curtis DeloatchCurtis DeloatchCurtis Lee Deloatch is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2004...
, Carolina Panthers Cornerback - Richard Gatling, inventor of the machine gun, was born in the countryside north of Murfreesboro
- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an alleged Al Qaeda leader attended Chowan UniversityChowan University- Other Notable Former Students :* Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, confessed architect of the September 11 attacks.- External links :* *...
in 1983. - Walter ReedWalter ReedMajor Walter Reed, M.D., was a U.S. Army physician who in 1900 led the team that postulated and confirmed the theory that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species, rather than by direct contact...
was married in Murfreesboro - William N. H. SmithWilliam Nathan Harrell SmithWilliam Nathan Harrell Smith was a United States Representative from North Carolina; born in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, September 24, 1812; attended the common schools in Murfreesboro, N.C., Kingston, Rhode Island, and Colchester, Connecticut and East Lyme, Connecticut; was graduated from Yale...
, Democratic Congressman and North Carolina Supreme Court Justice - John Hill Wheeler, the first US ambassadorAmbassadors from the United StatesThis is a list of ambassadors of the United States to individual nations of the world, to international organizations, to past nations, and ambassadors-at-large.Ambassadors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate...
to NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and head of the US Mint in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
was born in Murfreesboro on August 2, 1806.