Murfreesboro City Council to meet on old First United Methodist church
Scott Broden, Daily News Journal, March 26, 2016 Workshop scheduled to discuss redevelopment MURFREESBORO — The City Council will hold a workshop soon to discuss redevelopment and preservation goals for the former First United Methodist Church in the downtown area. The upcoming meeting about the old church building that dates…
Bradley Academy: A Historical Perspective
Murfreesboro City Television, March 28, 2016 Bradley Academy served as a school for Murfreesboro’s African-American community in 1800’s and early/mid 1900’s. In the 1990’s, citizens joined together to turn the site into a museum.
Johns loved Rutherford County from first breath
Susan Harber, Daily News Journal, March 27, 2016 When I reflect on extraordinary Rutherford County icons Hardy Murfree, James Buchanan, Robert Weakley, Alfred Blackman and Sampson Keeble, I now add one more significant individual named Ernest King Johns to a list of superhuman personas. For more than 200 years, great…
Community has heated debate over name change of Forrest Hall
Carley Gordon, WSMV TV, Murfreesboro, Tennessee MURFREESBORO, TN (WSMV) – The debate over the statues, busts and buildings named after Nathan Bedford Forrest has been going on for months. The last of three meetings to debate the name change of Forrest Hall was held Thursday night, and it may have…
Leather’s School, aka Seed Tick School (Salem), 1893-1923
LEATHERS SCHOOL, sometimes called SEED TICK SCHOOL 1893-1923 was located between Salem and Windrow. It was on the north side of Windrow Road at the bend of the road just before Windrow Hill. It was behind the John Haynes house but was farther back than the LAWRENCE CHAPEL SCHOOL BLACK.…
Remembering Rutherford: Rutherford families made mattresses with free cotton and tick
Greg Tucker, The Murfreesboro Post, March 23, 2016 The government had to do something with all that cotton! In an effort to aid “cotton belt” farmers during the Great Depression, the U. S. Department of Agriculture purchased a vast quantity of surplus cotton. The raw cotton was ginned and stored…
Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center on WGNS Radio
Murfreesboro’s WGNS Radio, 1450AM/101.5FM, March 23, 2016 Get tickets to the 20th Anniversary’s Willie McGowan Banquet on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at 7:00PM in MTSU’s James Union Building. Tickets are $40 for adults, and $20 for ages 18 and younger. Phone Bradley Academy Museum at 615-962-8773. Also, visit the Bradley…
Local History with Truman Jones and Friends
March 22, 2016, WGNS Radio Today Truman visits with Rutherford County Historian Greg Tucker. Bart Walker and the staff of Rutherford County’s WGNS Radio (1450AM, 101.9FM) have been supporters of our local history for a long, long time. Please click the WGNS icon and enjoy former Rutherford County Truman Jones…
African-American history preserved at Bradley
Nancy De Gennaro, Daily News Journal, March 20, 2016 MURFREESBORO — One of the most vivid childhood memories 92-year-old Ernestine Tucker has is her first day at Bradley Academy, an elementary that was Rutherford County’s first school for African-Americans. “My aunt walked us to the school. That’s the way she…
Forrest Hall not included in draft MTSU plan
Brian Wilson, Daily News Journal, March 20, 2016 MURFREESBORO — As the debate about the name of Forrest Hall rages on in the Middle Tennessee State University community, the Army ROTC building is not on the university’s draft master plan for the next 10 to 15 years. While the master plan envisions…
War still rages over Forrest Medallion
Brian Wilson, Daily News Journal, March 20, 2016 MURFREESBORO — The Forrest Hall Task Force will receive its final batch of public input on Thursday about the Middle Tennessee State University building named after the controversial Confederate general. When the 17-member panel convenes at 5:30 p.m, they’ll meet at the…
Possum Trot, a place called home
Rhonda Kay, The Murfreesboro Post, March 15, 2016 Does Possum Trot exist in Rutherford County? Of course it does. We just had the “Possum Trot Community” sign erected. If you head toward Franklin, Tenn., on Highway 96, make a left on Rehobath Road and you’ll run slap dab into it.…
Banquet celebrates Bradley Academy history
Sam Stockard, The Murfreesboro Post, March 15, 2016 Jason McGowan can remember his late grandfather, Willie McGowan, working tirelessly – mornings and nights – on the campaign to restore Bradley Academy, leaving him to wonder “Why?” “He told me that Bradley was a place where black children could receive an…
Obituary for Ernie Johns
Ernest “Ernie” King Johns, age 81, of Smyrna, died Saturday, March 12, 2016. A native of Smyrna, TN, he was the son of the late Andrew Frank “A.F.” and Mary Frances King Johns. Visitation will be Tuesday from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. till the…
Ernie Johns remembered as historian
Scott Broden, Daily News Journal, March 15, 2016 MURFREESBORO — Local leaders who served with the late Ernie Johns remember how much he loved his role as the longtime Rutherford County historian. A former member of the County Commission from Smyrna, Johns died Saturday. He was 81. “He was fond…
Women of the Civil War Historian to speak at Oaklands Mansion
Nanacy De Gennaro, The Daily News Journal, March 13, 2016 In recognition of March as Women’s History Month, Oaklands Mansion will host local Civil War historian and author Shirley Farris Jones at 6 p.m. Friday. Jones will speak about her book, “Valor and Lace: The Amazing Women of the Civil…
Council votes on historic home plans
Scott Broden, The Daily News Journal, March 11, 2016 MURFREESBORO — The City Council decided to support rezoning for 269 apartments Thursday after the developer pledged to preserve a historic home on Manson Pike in the Blackman community. “The neighborhood got a whole lot of what they wanted,” Murfreesboro Vice Mayor Doug Young said…
Hoovers Gap School, 1900-1915
HOOVERS GAP SCHOOL early 1900’s-1915 was on the east side of the Manchester Highway near its intersection with Hoovers Gap Road. Harvey Hoover had owned a store on that side of the road but had built a new store to the south of it. The school occupied the old store…
Forrest Hall task force sets final meeting, deadline
The Murfreesboro Post, March 9, 2016 The MTSU Forrest Hall task force has set a final public meeting at which it will review written and oral feedback from community organizations regarding a possible name change to the university’s ROTC building. The meeting will be held from 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday, March…
Local History with Truman Jones and Friends
March 8, 2016, WGNS Radio Today Truman visits with Rutherford County Historian Greg Tucker. Bart Walker and the staff of Rutherford County’s WGNS Radio (1450AM, 101.9FM) have been supporters of our local history for a long, long time. Please click the WGNS icon and enjoy former Rutherford County Truman Jones…