Raeford Historic District
historic district in North Carolina, United States
Raeford Historic District is a national historic district in Raeford, Hoke County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 48 contributing buildings and two contributing structures in the central business district of Raeford. The commercial and institutional buildings, residences, and transportation-related resources include notable examples of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival-style architecture built after 1897. Notable buildings include the B.R. and Margaret Gatlin House (c. 1903), J.W. and Christina McLauchlin House (c. 1905), Raeford Furniture Company (c. 1925), Hoke Drug (c. 1911), Bank of Raeford (1911), Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad Passenger Depot (c. 1910, 1942), Johnson-Thomas Building (c. 1900, 1955), and Davis Sinclair Station (c.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Raeford Historic District” is historic district in North Carolina, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Raeford, Historic and District, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “historic district in North Carolina, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q19987720. Authority coordinates are 34.978, -79.223. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1897, 1903, 1905 and 1925.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Raeford Historic District”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Raeford Historic District primary sources, Raeford Historic District archive and Raeford research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Raeford Historic District”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Raeford Historic District” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.