MURFREESBORO – The 1790 Roberts-Vaughan House came to life here recently when over 150 persons gathered to celebrate the conclusion of a successful Endowment Fund Campaign, sponsored by the Murfreesboro Historical Association.

Seven individuals contributed a combined total of $200,000 to assure the future of six historically significant buildings in the Murfreesboro Historic District.

&uot;This campaign is one of the most ambitious fundraising efforts in the history of the Association.

We are greatly indebted to J. Guy Revelle, Jr., who successfully raised $200,000,&uot; stated Norman G. Buskill, President of the Association.

The funding established individual endowments for the continued maintenance, protection and enhancement of the Roberts-Vaughan House, Hertford Academy, Rea Museum, Wheeler House, Winborne Store and Law Offices, and the Murfree-Smith Law Office.

The Roberts-Vaughan House, ca 1805, is endowed by Elwood Parker Bennett and Margaret Futrell DeLoatch.

This building serves as headquarters for the Murfreesboro Historical Association and the Chamber of Commerce.

The Hertford Academy, ca 1811, has been generously endowed by Clyde Braxton Britt.

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It now functions as a location for meetings, luncheons, and small receptions.

Built around 1790, the Rea Museum is endowed by Fenton Blount and Doris Mewborn Ferguson.

This building is reportedly the oldest brick commercial structure in North Carolina.

In later years, the Ferguson Agriculture Implement Co., which built the first peanut picker, occupied the building.

The restored building is a museum which features a Gatling Gun and other artifacts associated with early life in Historic Murfreesboro.

J. Guy Revelle, Jr. endowed the Wheeler House (ca 1810) in honor of his wife, Gertrude Johnson Revelle. The Wheeler House is the Historical Association’s educational house museum with the original kitchen dependency (reconstructed) and a recently restored early slaves’ quarters.

The Winborne and Winborne Law Office, ca 1870, is endowed by William K. Woltz and Elizabeth Winborne Woltz of Mount Airy.

Judge B. B. Winborne, author of a county history published in 1906, used this building as an office.

His son, Stanley, joined the practice on his completion of law school and later became N.C.’s first Commissioner of Utilities.

This building is home to a fine collection of early Americana artifacts.

Nancy Hall Sawyer Copeland endowed the Murfree-Smith Law Office, ca 1800.

Built by the Murfree family, the building was used as law offices for W.H. Murfree, son of W. Hardy Murfree who founded the town, and later W.N.H. Smith, former Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court.

The building is to the Association Gift Shop.

Patrons of the Gala were:

Benchmark Buildings and Irrigation, Inc.; Brown’s Mobile Homes Sales; Bynum R. Brown Agency, Inc.; Colonial Pharmacy, Inc.; Hall Auto Parts; Hill Realty Co.; Jenkins-Brown Insurance Co.; Johnson, McLean & Co.; Metal Tech; Murfreesboro Farms, Inc.; RBC Centura; Revelle Builders; Revelle & Lee, LLP; Southern Bank, The Parker Agency, Inc.; and, Thomas L. Jones, Jr., Attorney at Law.

Members of the Endowment Committee were:

Liz Brown (Chairperson), Susan Benthall, Norman Buskill, Carole Farnham, David Farnham, Bob Hill, Josie Hill, Carolyn Liverman, Spec McLean, Kay Mitchell, Dale Neighbors, Bruce Pulliam, Henry Pulliam, J. Guy Revelle, Jr., Bill Sowell, Debbie Tucker, and Frances Van Brackle.