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© 2021 Raeford-Hoke Museum. All Rights Reserved
About Raeford-Hoke Museum
Visit Us At: 111 South Highland Street, Raeford, NC 28376
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 2:00 to 4:00 PM | Monday and Tuesday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
The Raeford-Hoke Museum, a non-profit organization, began its preservation project in 2002 with the purchase of the McLauchlin-McFadyen House. Our mission is to preserve the history, culture, and artifacts of the local area. The museum contains many historical artifacts, photographs, and genealogies of Raeford and Hoke County.
McLauchlin-McFadyen House
The main museum is the McLauchlin-McFadyen House (pictured at top), which is a neoclassical revival design with 6,000 square feet of heated space, is located on five-acres of land. The house was built in 1905 by Marcus Dew for John W. McLauchlin (often referred to as "the Father of Hoke County" for his legislative efforts in the establishment of Hoke County). McLauchlin had the home built for his wife, Christiana McFadyen McLauchlin. The lumber for the home was taken from the long leaf pines on McLauchlin's land. The entrance has a pain of tall doors with beveled glass lights, flanked by leaded beveled glass sidelights. The second-floor balcony entrance is a pair of doors with leaded glass sidelights and fanlights.
The McLauchlin-McFadyen House was purchased by the museum from Christina McFadyen's nephew's widow in the early 2000s.
Parker-Ray House
Upon moving to the area in 1899, a gentleman by the name of Louis Parker had purchased 200 acres of land on "the road to Fayetteville" in what was then known as Cumberland County (later to become part of Hoke County). Parker met Willa Ray, daughter of Dr. W. G. Ray (graduate of Edenborough Medical College and one of the first licensed doctors in the State). The Ray's had lived in the area since the 1740s when King George II forced their ancestors out of Scotland. Parker and Ray fell in love, were married, and built a home on Parker's land using the timber cleared from the property. The couple developed a thriving farm and lived in the home for the remainder of their lives, raising children and grandchildren. One of those grandchildren was Richard Neeley, who was born in the upper right bedroom of the home. Richard and his niece, Susan Neeley Bridges donated the house to the Raeford-Hoke Museum and provided the funds to have the house moved and restored.
McLauchlin-McFadyen House
Parker-Ray House
Parker-Ray House
Schoolhouse
The Pine Forest School was moved to the grounds from Highway 401 near the Wayside community (donated by the Lindsay family). It is a reminder of how children were educated in the early 19th century. Unfortunately, the schoolhouse was damaged in the fall of 2016 by Hurricane Matthew. The outside of the building and the floor are original with the exceptin of a few patches; however the inside has been restored. The schoolhouse has a display of sketches of Hoke County's one-room school houses by Jeni Smith. Artifacts have been collected from students and schools in Hoke County to include notebooks of class histories, sports, reunions, and other interesting information.
Smoke House
The Raeford-Hoke Museum add a smokehouse in 2018, donated and moved by Hubert Wooten. The smokehouse was discovered while Mr. Wooten was clearing a lot on which he planned to build. It dates from the early 1900s and belonged to Wooten's grandfather, Dr. G.W. Brown who was instrumental in lobbying the legislature, along with John McLauchlin, for the creation of Hoke County. In the early 1900s smokehouses were used to store and preserve meat for the winter.
Emergency Service Museum
The Emergency Service Museum began with a dream to move the antique fire truck from the Raeford City Fire Department to the museum. City Council approved and a campaign was started to turn this dream into a reality. Many fundraisers were held but it was only once local firemen agreed to do most of the building work did it become a reality. Individuals and companies stepped up and contributed supplies and labor and the building was dedicated to Billy Williams due to his family donating the heating and air conditioning unit.
1900s Barn (Farm Storage Building)
The red barn is original to the property and contains old farm tools and farm equipment. It is not currently open to the public, however the museum Board has moved a good amount of the equipment outdoors for viewing until the barn repairs have been completed. It is said this barn was used by Mr. McFadyen as an office.
Little Girl's Dream House (aka Doll House)
This building was constructed in 2011 in honor of all the mothers in Hoke County. It was designed by Kaye Brady Player as a "little girl's dream house." Bessie Lerner helped decorate room, which is filled with dolls and toys. Some of the very old dolls were moved over from the museum, to included two dolls, which belonged to Mary Archie McNeill (a retired music teacher from Hoke High). There is also a picture of Shirley Temple alongside a doll made to look like her, a Native American doll made especially for the museum by Marcella Locklear, and dolls from around the world. This house is sure to delight visiting children as well as the child in all of us!
Country Store
Country stores were very important to the rural communities. If one did not have money, one could barter for supplies. They would exchange eggs, tobacco, corn, cotton, or anything of value for salt, cloth, glass for windows, and eyeglasses. Not only did it serve as an exchange for goods, but in some instances, served as the local post office. It was also a place for socializing.
Our country store has an icebox where drinks were kept cold before the days of electricity, a potbelly stove which probably witnessed many games of cards, a tobacco plug cutter, and a cash register from the 1900s.
