Publications by The Murfreesboro Historical Association Inc. 

Trail Separation: Murfreesboro, North Carolina and the American Civil War
by Thomas C. Parramore (1998)     $12.00 + postage 

In this work, the author reveals the effects of tragedy caused by the American Civil War upon the people of Murfreesboro. Dr. Parramore recounts various roles played by Murfreesboro citizenry in support of the Confederacy, particularly while dealing with an 1863 Union attack upon the town, as well as during an occupation by Union forces in early 1865.

Moreover, the separation of a young Murfreesboro daughter and her Union husband is paralleled with the tribulations experienced by a torn and separated nation during the years of war. Murfreesboro's population, both black and white, along with a thirst for high culture and progressive pursuits were all tragically wounded, either physically, economically, emotionally, and or spiritually as a result of the war. In this volume, Parramore brings to life the lasting effects of war upon the great, as well as the least, the rich as well as the poor, and the scholarly, as well as the illiterate. 

Murfreesboro and the Founding of the American Republic 1608-1703
by Thomas C. Parramore (2001)     $12.00 + postage  

Take a historical trip back to colonial Jamestown in 1608, time surrounding America's true foundational roots. Visit with expeditionary forces sent by the Jamestown Colony to the vicinity of Murfreesboro, NC. Learn

Of their association from approximately 1608-1650, while reading about the history of the Meherrin Indian tribe from 1680 to the 1770's, the settlement of William and Mary Murfree at Murfree's Landing (designated in the mid-1700's as a King's Landing), and Hertford County's role in making North Carolina independent of Britain.

In this book, Parramore deals with powerful relationships between people like William Murfree, the town's father and namesake. Murfree, instrumental in the development of orders for colonial representatives from the local area to vote for independence from Great Britain (known as the Halifax Resolves), was one of the first to call for a free American Republic. The author continues to highlight the war itself, and recounts how William Murfree's son, Hardee Murfree, founder of the town of Murfreesboro, led the attack on Stoney Point, NY, during the Revolution, helping to win that war.  

Murfreesboro, North Carolina and the Great Intracoastal Waterway 1786-1814
by Thomas C. Parramore (2002)     $12.00 + postage 

The idea that Murfreesboro, NC played a vital role in establishing the Intracoastal Waterway, a protected sea-lane now running from Maine to Texas is perhaps a little known fact. In this work, Parramore reveals those efforts on the part of many people of northeastern North Carolina, especially those of Murfreesboro were responsible for initial plans. Hardee Murfree, Murfreesboro's founding father proposed the project in the 1780's. The Murfree family continued support of the project, and around 1811, Hardee Murfree's son, William Hardee Murfree realized that the proposed canal project would need additional financial support from other coastal states, perhaps even the Federal Government.

The author describes efforts of Murfree and his son, Congressman William Hardee Murfree to introduce a bill before Congress for a canal that would eventually become destined to open new transportation opportunities free from the threat of submarines, destructive storms, and hazards of the Atlantic graveyard. This extremely interesting work is a study of their efforts. 

The Gatling Aeroplane of 1873: America's First Airplane
by Thomas C. Parramore (2003)      $5.00 + postage 

In this brief work, Parramore relates the fascinating story of the "Turkey Buzzard", the first known man-powered airplane built and flown in America. His account embraces the inventive spirit of men and machines in a time gone by, and portrays the sometimes intense rivalry between builder and pilot of this plane, James Henry Gatling, with his younger brother, Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor of the famed "Gatling Gun". Both brothers were residents of Hertford County, NC, near Murfreesboro.

Utilizing hand cranks to power fan-like blowers, Gatling's plane embodied features later implemented in the "Wright Flyer" of 1903, such as flexible wings, a movable stabilizer and a vertical rudder at the plane's tail end. On a brisk Sunday afternoon in the Fall of 1873, Gatling, sitting in the cockpit of his invention, with hands and arms furiously turning the cranks of his fan blowers, reportedly glided a little over 100 feet from a platform constructed approximately 12 feet above the ground. As he descended through the trees and bushes before settling in a rather rough and damaged fashion amid an open field, James Henry Gatling put North Carolina, as well as Murfreesboro on America's aviation map! 

A History of The Riddick Plantation of Hertford County, North Carolina
by Franklin H. Harris, Jr.       $8.00 + postage 

Originally compiled from over two years of research as a Master's Thesis, this work captures the unique period of dramatic and social change in Hertford County's history. From the slow, less financially productive plantation society of the early 1800's, through a new and prosperous merchant society growing our of a need for new goods and services, better transportation, and a more stable financial footing, few visionaries were daring enough to shape the future of their surroundings.

The reader is allowed to travel through these changes with Abram Riddick of Hertford County, North Carolina, a plantation owner and true economic visionary and "Apostle of the South." This bustling plantation/township, known as Riddicksville helped boost the county of Hertford into the future, through a civil war, and through reconstruction years, before giving way to the changes brought about by effects of time. 

Murfreesboro, North Carolina: Cradle of Titans 1810-1824
by Thomas C. Parramore (2003)      $12.00 + postage 

Due to the creation and solid support of several female and male academies in the town, antebellum Murfreesboro enjoyed an enviable climate of culture and erudition that compared favorably to that of any town of its size in the United States. In a single generation, these schools produced the first two American ministers to Central America; a Congressman who served in both the Federal and Confederate legislatures as well as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; a well-known Mexican War hero and professor and textbook author at West Point, a Confederate general, and other distinguished leaders. The sources of this phenomenon are traced in this volume.  

The Peanut Story
by F. Roy Johnson
Copyright 1962 Reprint 2003 $12.00 + postage 

This is the story of the peanut, a plant crop that during recent years has achieved world importance both as a valuable food and a source for high-grade oil. It also is the story of people who made significant contributions to the peanut’s advancement – from the early South American Indian who domesticated it to today’s scientist and technician who are improving it.