{"nrhp_refnum":"71000590","name":"Columns, The","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jones Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Murfreesboro","county":"Hertford County","state":"NC","lat":36.44265076800008,"lon":-77.09941811699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-02-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Columns is a three-story stuccoed brick Greek Revival building on Jones Drive in Murfreesboro, Hertford County, North Carolina, completed in 1852 for the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, now Chowan College.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a monumental Greek Revival design and the physical symbol of Chowan College. It has housed the college's administrative offices continuously since 1852 and is described as an educational landmark in eastern North Carolina.","narrative":"Built between 1851 and 1852 on Jones Drive in Murfreesboro, The Columns is a massive late Greek Revival building of stuccoed brick, three stories high above a high basement. A low hip roof carries an octagonal belvedere, and the north front has a large portico with eight fluted Doric columns on brick piers. Windows have six-over-six sash and lintels with corner blocks containing roundels. The building was erected for the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, founded in 1848 by the Chowan Baptist Association, with support from other associations in North Carolina and Virginia. Albert G. Jones held the construction contract, and funding shortages delayed work until the building opened on November 3, 1852. It held a chapel, classrooms, offices and a dormitory. The school became Chowan College in 1910. Although the south side and interiors have been altered, The Columns has served continuously as the college's administrative offices and remains its best-known symbol and a regional educational landmark.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1852)","architect_builder":"Albert G. Jones (contractor who signed the 1851 contract to erect the building)","architectural_style":"Late Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in excellent condition; used continuously for the college's administrative offices. Altered over time, including an auditorium addition on the south facade and extensive interior changes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:56.427871-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/7208/47720871/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/71000590.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000590/6fa34154bc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000590/6fa34154bc-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Waterman, Thomas T., creator","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Historic_American_Buildings_Survey,_Thomas_T._Waterman,_Photographer_July,_1940_GENERAL_VIEW._-_Chowan_College,_Jones_Drive,_Murfreesboro,_Hertford_County,_NC_HABS_NC,46-MURF,6-1.tif\" rel=\"noopener\">Waterman, Thomas T., creator</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Historic_American_Buildings_Survey,_Thomas_T._Waterman,_Photographer_July,_1940_GENERAL_VIEW._-_Chowan_College,_Jones_Drive,_Murfreesboro,_Hertford_County,_NC_HABS_NC,46-MURF,6-1.tif"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"71000593","name":"Murfreesboro Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/murfreesboro-historic-district-71000593/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720871","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Columns_(Murfreesboro,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18739421"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/hertford-county/columns-the-71000590/"}