Fuquay-Varina Museums Complex

Fuquay-Varina was first known as "Piney-Woods" and was settled in the 17th century by the Burts, Joneses, and Rowlands who received land grants from King Charles I of England. As an interesting side note, the Burts have maintained most of their land and have continued agricultural production for over two centuries. See the additional links below about the Burt family farm. The name Fuquay, however, came from a French veteran of the Revolutionary War, William Fuquay. He purchased 1000 acres of Jones land, which was the exact site of what is now Fuquay and moved there with his family in 1805. Circa 1858, Fuquay’s son Stephen or grandson David (it is not precisely known) discovered a mineral spring while plowing a field. The mineral spring became a major attraction as people believed “taking the waters” would heal physical ailments. Thanks to the transportation of the early Timber Rail and hotels set up conveniently near the spring to cater to long term visitors, the small town began to grow. Following the renown of the mineral spring, Fuquay became known as Fuquay Springs. Today, the Mineral Springs park stands just a short distance away from the Fuquay-Varina Museums complex.

Varina was another small town established right next to Fuquay by a Civil War veteran named James Devereaux Ballentine. Ballentine applied for the Varina Post Office to be established because the Fuquay post office location was too far to service the people who lived in the area of what is now Willow Spring down to North Harnett County. According to local historians, Ballentine received morale-boosting letters from a young lady in Fayetteville, NC during the war who signed the letters with Varina. The young lady was actually Virginia Arey, and J.D. Ballentine sought her out after the war, and they married on December 3, 1867. Virginia Arey Ballantine’s tombstone can be viewed in the Centennial Museum. The post office was named Varina by Ballentine, after his wife, and eventually led to a town called Varina. The Schoolhouse that J.D. and Varina Ballentine founded still stands at the Fuquay-Varina Museums complex for visiting. It was originally located near the mineral spring and the Ballentine House (now the Ballentine Spence House). In 1963, the towns of Fuquay and Varina decided to merge into one municipality which has since become one of the fastest growing towns in North Carolina, whilst maintaining its small-town charm and its two historic districts.

An additional point of interest for postal history, and women’s history, is the first Fuquay Springs post office. Near the entrance of the building, there is a plaque that reads “Hattie Parker Jones, Postmaster. Originally located near the “Little Depot” circa 1902-1913.” The post office building was donated to the museum by the Jones family, ancestors of the original Jones family land grant settlers. Though no sources or records exist of Hattie Parker Jones in online primary source research, the Fuquay-Varina Museums staff possess several artifacts and documented oral histories, many of which can be viewed on display inside the post office building. There is also a tombstone in the Jones family cemetery which reads “Hattie Parker Jones, May 10, 1863 – January 7, 1945”, which supports that she did indeed exist and could have been the postmaster in the early 1900s. The post office collection also boasts historical information on other area post offices. According to United States Postal Service history, though it was still uncommon to have a woman postmaster, it became far more common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due, in part, to the Civil War. In the south, men often could not qualify to take the oath of postmaster if they had supported the confederacy. Additionally, though many government officials, such as the Postmaster General, were against it, President Ulysses S. Grant supported women in becoming postmasters, and even appointed a few, especially among Civil War widows so that they may have a good income to support themselves and their children. See USPS source below to read further on Women post masters and a link on the Indianola Affair, which is what the conflict about a woman and African American postmaster came to be known.

Tobacco farming in North Carolina dates back as early as 1663 and the North Carolina agricultural economy grew up around the crop over the centuries, declining only with the nationwide decline of tobacco farming and consumption in the early 21st century. Tobacco farming in Fuquay became popular in the early 1900s as farmers fled the Granville wilt, a bacterial disease that ruined crops. It was first discovered in Granville County in 1839 and was feared to destroy all tobacco production for the state and the southeast as a whole. The disease remains a concern today, though there are now several techniques and treatments to ensure it can be contained and treated. The Tobacco Barn at the Fuquay-Varina Museums complex, though moved from Greensboro, was authentically reconstructed at the museum complex and represents the tobacco farmers of Fuquay-Varina, many of them who were small tenant farmers throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The Fuquay-Varina staff will occasionally put on demonstrations on stringing up tobacco for drying on the rack which is pictured below. There is also a sculpture next to the barn, constructed of old farm equipment by artist Ben Harris titled “Ghost Farmers” that pays homage to Fuquay-Varina’s agricultural history.

Additionally, museum visitors can see the Centennial Museum located in the old municipal building which has several displays of pictures, documents, and other artifacts from the town’s history, including the police and fire departments. Visitors can also see the old town jail cells. There is a restored caboose from the Norfolk Railroad Company which used to run through Fuquay-Varina and a log cabin playhouse built in the 19th century style that a loving father, Woodrow Johnson, built for his daughter Hettie Johnson circa 1950. The playhouse was originally near the mineral spring but relocated to the museum complex and contains centuries of antique toys and information about the Johnson family. The Museum complex also has a small amphitheater ideal for small shows or picnics, bathrooms, several native North Carolina plants marked with signs denoting their species, a playground for young visitors, and a picnic shelter.

1.USPS. (n.d.). Women Postmasters. United States Post Office. https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/women-postmasters.pdf

2.Fuquay-varina museums. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2021, from http://fuquay-varina-museums.org/

3.Granville wilt of tobacco | nc state extension publications. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2021, from https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/granville-wilt-of-tobacco

4.POV. (2005, January 22). North carolina & tobacco: Historical background | bright leaves | pov | pbs. POV | American Documentary Inc. http://archive.pov.org/brightleaves/historical-background

5.POV. (2005, January 17). North carolina & tobacco: Timeline | bright leaves | pov | pbs. POV | American Documentary Inc. http://archive.pov.org/brightleaves/timeline

6.History of fuquay-varina | fuquay-varina, nc. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2021, from https://www.fuquay-varina.org/423/History-of-Fuquay-Varina

7.Hattie parker jones (1863-1945)—Find a grave... (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2021, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44078597/hattie-jones