
THE McLAUCHLIN-McFADYEN HOUSE is a neoclassical revival design with 6,000 square feet of heated space filled with historical exhibits. Located on five acres, the museum also includes “The Parker-Ray House,” an emergency service museum, doll house, school house, and country store. Be sure to check out the new genealogy room at the Parker Ray House! You never know what you'll find!

THE PARKER-RAY HOUSE In 1899 Louis and Willa Ray, daughter of Dr. W.G. Ray, one of the first doctors in this area built their home in Cumberland County (an area that become Hoke County in 1911) and remained there the rest of their lives. Times changed, the families moved on and the house became vacant. Fortunately, the house was donated to the museum. It has been renovated to the style of the early 1900’s and was complete in Spring 2015.
In 1899, the Hoke County entity did not exist, but the land and people of that area of Cumberland County did and Louis Parker found both attractive. He and five of his brothers and sisters moved to the area. He bought 200 acres on the road to Fayetteville, about four miles northeast of the small town of Raeford. That section of Cumberland became part of Hoke County when Hoke was recognized as a county in 1911.
Willa’s ancestors had been in the area since the 1740’s. having been forced out of Scotland by the English King. She and Louis married, cleared the land and used the timber to build a home in which they lived the reminder of their lives. Their children and grandson (Richard Neeley) were born in the upper right bedroom. Over the years their land developed into a thriving farm.
Time, as well as the ax, is relentless and the Parker family moved on, leaving the home vacant. Fortunately, Richard Neely and his niece Suzanne Neely Bridges, descendants of Louis and Willa, donated the house to the museum, including providing funds to move and restore it. The house has been and continues to be a tremendous asset to the Raeford-Hoke Museum OTHER RESOURCES NC GenWeb Project (part of US GenWeb Project) made up of volunteers who provide genealogical and historical content for each of North Carolina's 100 counties. Being that Hoke County was formed from parts of Cumberland and Robeson County in 1911, there are many valuable resources not only in Hoke County but in those adjacent counties as well. (Thank you to Neil Ray of Fayetteville for suggesting these links.) http://www.ncgenweb.us/cumberland/ http://www.ncgenweb.us/hoke/ http://www.ncgenweb.us/robeson/ | Contact Us DELIA MCNEIL Curator 910-842-1945
RAEFORD-HOKE MUSEUM MAILING ADDRESS PO BOX 1383 RAEFORD, NC 28376
PHONE 910-875-2279
PHYSICAL ADDRESS 111 South Highland Street Raeford, NC 28376
HOURS OF OPERATION Mondays and Tuesdays 10:00AM-2:00PM Saturdays and Sundays 2:00PM-4:00PM
Private tours available for groups of 10 or more. Please contact us for availability.
MEMBERSHIP Membership/Renewals can be mailed or pay online using: PayPal.
DONATIONS Please consider making a donation to the Raeford-Hoke Museum. To donate online, please visit: GoFund Me. NEWSLETTER To receive a copy of our newsletter, please email us : PayPal. |