Harrellsville Historic District

Harrellsville is a small farming village in southeastern Hertford County, North Carolina, near the Chowan and Wiccacon rivers. The historic district follows Main, Quebec and Tar Landing streets and includes 85 contributing resources: houses with their outbuildings, frame stores, churches, a cemetery and farmland. Most significant buildings date from 1870 to 1940, though the Abner Harrell House, a two-story Federal-period frame dwelling, dates from about 1811 and anchors the oldest group of buildings. The village grew from Bethel's Crossroads, where planter George Bond, then John Wilson and Abner Harrell, established a farm and store at the meeting of major roads. Fires in 1864, 1888 and 1913 destroyed many earlier buildings, and replacements shaped the present village. Architectural styles range from Federal-Greek Revival to Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Craftsman. Frame commercial buildings along Main and Quebec streets survive largely intact, which is unusual because brick replaced frame in most towns by the early twentieth century.