Preserve and Promote OUR local history!
Ridley McLean was a Navy Rear Admiral in World War I
November 4, 2019, Susan Harbor, Daily News Journal The knowledge of a two-star Admiral growing up in Murfreesboro escaped me until recently. This single man originated superior Naval tactician precept and was the mastermind of the Navy we have today. Rear Admiral Ridley McLean was born an only child to…
WZTV: The story of the ‘Human Fly’
November 1, 2019, Dennis Ferrier, WZTV (Channel 17) MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WZTV) — The Rutherford County Courthouse on the square in Murfreesboro is pure southern charm. One of just a handful of pre-Civil War courthouses left in the state of Tennessee. Imagine the stories the building could tell … We’re going to…
The Anderson-Christy-Keeble-Sparks-Ransom home
November 1, 2019, Researched and written by Barry Lamb Few homes bore witness to significant events in Murfreesboro history than the Anderson-Keeble-Sparks-Ransom home. If houses could talk, it would have spoken of the infancy of the town when it served as the Tennessee state capital. It would have talked about…
Who Remembers Brinkley’s Fine Foods and Fine Music?
November 1, Greg Tucker In the 1930’s, the popular Lewis Brinkley Grocery on the Square (103 East Side) was run by a second generation grocer and founder of the first local Chamber of Commerce. When it appeared that the store was going to need a fourth bicycle and yet another…
Murfreesboro Mayors: 21-25
November 1, 2019, A Series by Barry Lamb Hanna, Dr. William H. was born circa 1805 in Tennessee. He is possibly the son of John Doak Hanna, who died in Rutherford County in 1835, as he was involved in the administration of his estate. Our subject moved to Mississippi as a…
City Demolishes Historic Boy Scout House
November 1, 2019, By Greg Tucker, Rutherford County Historian Reports on Murfreesboro’s recent “surprise” demolition of the log structure on Ewing Boulevard failed to identify the original purpose and use of the Boy Scout structure which had for several years been home to the Murfreesboro Little Theater. In the mid-1930’s,…
Spirits still linger at Smyrna’s Sam Davis Home
October 31, 2019, Linda Ong, WKRN TV, Nashville, Tennessee SMYRNA, Tenn. (WKRN) — For News 2’s Haunted Tennessee special, we took a tour of the home of Confederate soldier Sam Davis. Spread across 168 acres in Smyrna, sits the house and farm of the Davis family. Jenny Lamb works as the Executive…
Alvin C. York Medical Center Halloween Party, 1953
The Rutherford County Historical Society acquired thousands of photos from the Alvin C. York Veterans Hospital in December, 2018. Can you ID the people in these pics? Please send your answers to rutherfordtnhistory@gmail.com.
Murfreesborough Foremothers
Daughters of the American Revolution, Col. Hardy Murfree Chapter Sally Brickell married Col. Hardy Murfree in 1780, birthed 10, raised 7 children. Six of the Hardy Murfree children inherited property in or around what became ”Murfreesborough’ Fanny Noailles Murfree, born 1783, married David Dickinson 1799, inherited 1,000 acres north of Murfreesborough which became her home “Grantlands”. Mary Moore Murfree, born 1786, married Isaac Hilliard…
8,000 Bales of Cotton Produced in the County
October 1, 1939, The Daily News Journal According to a survey conducted last week, an average of approximately 8,000 bales of cotton are grown annually in Rutherford County. Four large gins in Murfreesboro produce an average of 1,500 bales each, while two concerns at Smyrna and Walter Hill report annual…
Murfreesboro City Council Approves Next Phase Of Downtown Development
Gib Backlund and the History of the Stones River National Battlefield
Monday, October 21, 2019 A crowd of approximately 45 enjoyed hearing the delightful stories about the history of the National Park Service and the Stones River National Battlefield from Chief Ranger (ret.) Gib Backlund retired from the Stones River National Battlefield.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Annual Awards Banquet, Carriage Lane Reception House, Saturday, November 9, 2019 Each year the president of the RCHS is tasked with selecting only five volunteers for recognition. I use the word ‘tasked’ because choosing ONLY five volunteers is a tough, tough task. Reservations and payment required by 10/31/2019! (no payments…
Monday, October 21, 7:00PM
Monday, October 21, Rutherford County Archive, 435 Rice Street: Gib Backlund, well-known, much respected chief ranger (retired) from the Stones River National Battlefield, will be discussing the history of the Stones River National Battlefield and National Parks.
Jefferson School Reunion
October 19, 2019, by Frank Caperton, from the Davenport Barn, Smyrna, Tennessee WOW – what a turnout for the Jefferson School Reunion held at the ‘Davenport Barn, on Rock Springs Road, Smyrna, TN. The last class to attend Jefferson School was 1966, as the Percy Priest Reservoir project took its…
Grandfather was a Special Man in Rutherford County
October 14, 2019, Susan Harber, The Daily News Journal Jerry Glendon Johns of Old Jefferson was a wonderful grandfather. He was born at Fall Creek to Benjamin Franklin Johns, a handsome and prominent Smyrna businessman, and Helen Smith (1874-1967) of North Carolina. Benjamin was on the Board of Directors for…
Through a Child’s Eyes, 1988
October 23, 1988, The Daily News Journal This week, Daily News Journal photographer Harrison McClary visited David Youree Elementary School in Smyrna and talked with fourth-graders. We would like to thank Principal Don Odom, teacher Mrs. Hicks and her students.
Tombstones in hidden cemetery bulldozed during construction of Murfreesboro gun businesses
October 10, 2019, The Daily News Journal, Scott Broden A bulldozer pushed hidden tombstones into a large pile of debris during construction of two gun businesses last week. “I was very disturbed about that,” said cemetery preservationist Allen Gooch said. “I view any burial ground as being sacred ground, and…
Original Church of Christ Congregations Stand Tall Today
September/October 2019, Froe Chips , by Susan Harber The Church of Christ in Rutherford County has a primitive genesis that is engaging to study. Two churches that caught my eye immersed in the authentic chronicles of an olden chapter of time include Christiana and Mars Hill Church of Christ. To…
The Jordan-Ewing-Nelson-McElroy home
September/October 2019, Froe Chips Researched and written by Barry Lamb It is a common occurrence during times of war that a wounded soldier feels a special bond for a nurse who is taking care of them. The intense anxieties of battle and one’s own welfare while in the army, coupled…