This marker is located along the main street of downtown Murfreesboro and points out the biography…read moreand home of a local. The marker reads, "Home of William Hardy Murfree, member of U.S. Congress, 1813-1817; North Carolina House, 1805 & 1812; presidential elector, 1812. House stands 1 block North." It is marker number A-20 and it was erected in 1971 by the North Carolina State Department of Archives and History. Murfree was born in Murfreesboro on October 2, 1781, educated at the University of North Carolina, and trained in law before opening a practice in his hometown. He entered politics in 1805, served in the state House of Commons, acted as a Democratic elector in 1813, and later represented North Carolina in Congress, where his proposals for internal improvements failed to gain traction. Discouraged, he moved to Tennessee in 1820 and settled on his father's Revolutionary War lands, living only a few more years before his death in 1826. His early home, a two‑story Greek Revival brick house known as 'Melrose,' was sold in 1813 to Brigadier General Joseph Dickinson, who expanded it before his own death in 1822. [Review 17 of 2026 - 4521 in North Carolina - 25208 overall]

This marker is near the center of Murfreesboro and points out the birthplace of this local who went…read moreon to service his country and travel the world. It is marker number A-18 and it was erected in 1948 by the North Carolina Archives, Conservation and Highway Departments. It has the same text on both sides, reading "Historian, legislator, superintendent U.S. Mint at Charlotte, state treasurer, minister to Nicaragua, born 1806 in brick house 300 yards north." John H. Wheeler was a lawyer, historian, and public servant whose career spanned law, politics, and diplomacy. Educated at Columbian College and the University of North Carolina, he served in the state legislature, led the Charlotte branch of the United States Mint, and was appointed ambassador to Nicaragua, though his tenure ended controversially after helping aid Tennessean William Walker's attempted coup within the nation. A prolific writer and Unionist during the Civil War, Wheeler published several historical works, helped found the North Carolina Historical Society, and spent his final years in Washington, D.C., where he died in 1882 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. There is more information online. There is room to stop and pull over here to read the marker. [Review 1011 of 2025 - 4357 in North Carolina - 24565 overall]

This marker points out the history of a local citizen from the post-Colonial era who went on to…read moreserve the state in various roles. It is in a parking lot and there is plenty of room to stop to read the marker. On both sides, it reads "Willis Alston, jr. 1769-1837. US Congressman, 1799-1815 and 1825-1831, as a Jeffersonian Republican; North Carolina Representative and Senator. Grave 4 1/2 miles southeast." Online, there is more information. Alston was born near here into a politically influential family, rose to prominence as a staunch Jeffersonian and long-serving legislator at both the state and national levels. While still a student at Princeton in 1791, he was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons, later serving in the state Senate and then in Congress from 1799 to 1815, and again from 1825 to 1831. Known for his alliance with John C. Calhoun and the "War Hawks" during the War of 1812, Alston also held a seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. In state politics, he advocated for internal improvements, banking reform, and investigated financial misconduct. He married twice and operated a large plantation in Halifax County, where he owned over 100 slaves. Alston died in 1837 and was buried at his estate, "Butterwood" near his birthplace. [Review 936 of 2025 - 4340 in North Carolina - 24492 overall]

A few steps from the county courthouse, this historical marker offers a compact but engaging window…read moreinto the early life of a local politician who rose far beyond these streets. Like most North Carolina markers, it is brief and to the point. It is a simple stop, but a rewarding one if you enjoy seeing how big stories begin in small places. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Secretary of War under Andrew Jackson; U.S. Senator from Tennessee; Florida governor; U.S. minister to Spain. Born here." It is marker number E-99 and it was erected in 1989 by the Division of Archives and History. John H. Eaton was born in Halifax County in 1790, likely on one of his family's town lots in the heart of Halifax. After leaving the University of North Carolina without graduating, he moved to Tennessee, married Myra Lewis, and entered Andrew Jackson's inner circle. In 1840 he broke with Jackson by declining to support Martin Van Buren for president. Eaton lived the rest of his life in Washington DC. [Review 54 of 2026 - 4533 in North Carolina - 25244 overall]

This marker is located near the Halifax County Courthouse and the main tourist and historical…read moreattractions in the city. It points out that there is a churchyard nearby and I'd recommend you make the short walk. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Graves of Confederate general Junius Daniel, editor Abraham Hodge, U.S. District Judge John Sitgreaves, are 1 block northeast." It is marker number E-51 and it was erected in 1953 by the North Carolina Archives Conservation and Highway Departments. The Colonial Churchyard in Halifax grew around an eighteenth‑century Church of England chapel that later served the early St. Mark's Episcopal congregation. Although St. Mark's declined and reorganized over time, the chapel itself survived until 1911. The cemetery's earliest marker belongs to merchant William Alexander, who died in 1766. Other notable burials include Sarah Davie, Judge John Sitgreaves, printer Abraham Hodge, and later members of the Daniel, Marshal, and Gary families who supported the Episcopal Church. [Review 53 of 2026 - 4532 in North Carolina - 25243 overall]

Peaceful and quiet, a few miles west of Jackson along a country road. This marker points out the…read morenearby home of a local citizen. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Matt W. Ransom. Confederate General, United States Senator, 1872-95, and Minister to Mexico. Home stands 800 yards south." It is marker number E-10 and it was erected in 1938 by North Carolina Archives and Highway Departments. It looks much newer than that. There is room to pull over to read the marker. Matt Whitaker Ransom, born in Warren County in 1826, built a legal career that led to early statewide office and later long service in national public life. He shifted from the Whig Party to the Democrats in the 1850s and represented his district in the House of Commons before entering Confederate service, where he rose from private to brigadier general and fought in major battles until the surrender at Appomattox. After the war he returned to law and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1872, serving North Carolina for more than two decades. He later represented the United States as minister to Mexico before retiring to Northampton County. Ransom died in 1908, and a bust honoring him remains in the State Capitol rotunda in Raleigh. [Review 50 of 2026 - 4529 in North Carolina - 25240 overall]

The marker is located at an intersection that leads to (or from, I suppose) the center of Halifax…read moreand the various historic sites. Halifax grew along the Roanoke River in the 1700s as a trading town and county seat, thriving on river traffic and the plantation economy that surrounded it. The town became a Revolutionary landmark in April 1776 when North Carolina's Fourth Provincial Congress adopted the Halifax Resolves, the first official call for independence by any colony. Much of that centered around the Masonic Lodge. The marker reads, "Chartered 1767. Building was erected in 1769. Joseph Montfort, "Grand Master of America," is buried there. 500 yards east." It is marker number E-8 and it was erected in 1966 by the Archives and Highway Departments. [Review 52 of 2026 - 4531 in North Carolina - 25242 overall]

The historical marker is in front of a beautiful home just to the north of Halifax and points out…read morethe hero that lived here. It reads, "William R. Davie. 1756-1820. A militia officer during the Revolution; governor, 1798-99; envoy to France; "father" of University of N.C. Lived in this house." The house is in the Georgian Federal design with a two-story façade. There is also a caption in front of the house. But this is marker number E-4 and it was erected in 2014 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. William Richardson Davie, born in England in 1756 and raised in South Carolina, was a distinguished Revolutionary War officer, eloquent statesman, and founder of the University of North Carolina. After studying at Princeton and briefly practicing law, he joined the Patriot militia, rising through the ranks and earning acclaim for his daring cavalry raids and strategic supply work under General Nathanael Greene. A committed Federalist, Davie served in the North Carolina legislature and played a pivotal role at the Constitutional Convention, advocating for Southern interests while supporting compromise to secure union. As governor, he helped navigate tense diplomatic waters with France, later serving as a U.S. envoy and negotiator with the Tuscarora tribe. Though his later years were marked by personal loss and political retreat, Davie remained engaged with the university he helped establish, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, education, and public service when he died in 1820 at his South Carolina plantation, Tivoli. I'm not sure if the home is private or open for tours. There is room to stop for photos and to read the marker. [Review 929 of 2025 - 4333 in North Carolina - 24485 overall]