William Rea Store is a historic commercial building located in the

Murfreesboro Historic District Murfreesboro Historic District is a national historic district located at Murfreesboro, Hertford County, North Carolina. The district encompasses nine contributing buildings in the oldest section of the city of Murfreesboro. The buildings incl ...

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

Hertford County, North Carolina Hertford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,552. Its county seat is Winton. It is classified within the region known in the 21st century as the Inner Banks. History H ...

. It was built about 1790, and is a two-story, three-bay, brick building with a one-story, three-bay wing. It is one of the oldest commercial buildings in North Carolina. It was built by William Rea, a wealthy Boston merchant. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1970. The building is owned by the Murfreesboro Historical Association and serves as its main museum site, the William Rea Museum. Exhibits include area agriculture, education, architecture, river trade, Native American life, and the lives of inventors

Richard Jordan Gatling Richard Jordan Gatling (September 12, 1818 – February 26, 1903) was an American inventor best known for his invention of the Gatling gun, which is considered to be the first successful machine gun. Life Gatling was born in Hertford County, Nort ...

and his brother James Henry Gatling. The Association also operates the

Brady C. Jefcoat Museum The Brady C. Jefcoat Museum of Americana is a museum in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, USA. Operated by the Murfreesboro Historical Association, the museum houses a collection of American artifacts from the 1850s to the 1950s collected by Brady C. J ...

, tours of Dr. Walter Reed House, John Wheeler House, shops and the Agriculture and Transportation Museum. The Association's office is located in the

Roberts-Vaughan House Roberts-Vaughan House is a historic home located in the Murfreesboro Historic District at Murfreesboro, Hertford County, North Carolina. It was built about 1805, as a two-story, five-bay, Federal style frame dwelling with a gable roof. The fro ...

References

External links

Murfreesboro Historical Association
Historic American Buildings Survey in North Carolina Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Commercial buildings completed in 1790 Buildings and structures in Murfreesboro, North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Hertford County, North Carolina 1790 establishments in North Carolina Historic district contributing properties in North Carolina Museums in Hertford County, North Carolina {{HertfordCountyNC-NRHP-stub