Middle Tennessee State University, Spring 2011 Explorations in Public History Class
In the dawning years of the 1800s, the Murfree family built Grantlands, a beautiful antebellum mansion and estate on over 1,000 acres of land in Rutherford County, Tennessee. By 1863, the plantation was in ruins, the house was destroyed, and the area was left with only the city to bear the Murfree family name – Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
In 2011, a group of students from Middle Tennessee State University “re-discovered” the old plantation under the pavement of the current city. Enter to discover the story of the Murfree’s of Murfreesboro and their lost plantation.
In 1783, North Carolina started granting lands to Revolutionary War veterans for their services in that war. Many veterans would sell their “granted lands,” preferring not to move into the frontier of the new nation. Colonel Hardy Murfree of Murfreesboro, North Carolina, received over 6,000 acres of land in what would soon become the state of Tennessee. However, by the time that Tennessee was established in 1796, Col. Murfree owned over 22,000 acres in the new state.
January 12, 1813, the Tennessee Supreme Court probated the estate of the late Col. Murfree by dividing his enormous land holdings amongst the Murfree heirs. Col. Murfree’s daughter, Fanny Noailles Murfree, and her husband, David Dickinson, inherited over 1,000 acres of land on the west fork of the Stones River, near the newly founded town of Murfreesboro. It is here that David Dickinson and Fanny Noailles Murfree Dickinson would establish Grantlands plantation, named in reference to the “granted lands.”
Grantlands was a vast Southern estate and farm, including crops such as corn, grain, and cotton, along with orchards of pear, apple, cherry, and peach trees. With a little over 100 enslaved African-Americans working the land, the Murfree plantation was one of the largest in Middle Tennessee.
Fanny Noailles Dickinson Murfree, a granddaughter of David Dickinson, once wrote that “a wide graveled driveway bordered with rose bushes, for Grantlands was notable for its roses, led to the front portico, which was reached by a flight of steps.” She continued, “The hall was 40 feet in length by 15 feet wide and 12 feet high” and “two rooms 20 by 20 feet and 12 feet in height were on each side of the hall.” In the rear of the house were rooms for the kitchen, a store room, a laundry, and a weaving room. The upstairs of the plantation house contained bedrooms and two library rooms full of books. Behind the main house stood the slave dwellings, a “milk” house or spring house, a pigeon house, an ice house, a turkey pen, and multiple stables for the race horses.
Upon his death in 1848, David Dickinson divided Grantlands in half, willing the plantation house, outbuildings, and a mill to his daughter, Fanny Priscilla Dickinson, and her husband, William Law Murfree. In actuality, Fanny Dickinson and William Murfree were first cousins, both sharing Col. Hardy Murfree as their grandfather. So it is certainly fitting that Fanny and William would continue the legacy of their grandfather’s granted lands.
In 1856, William Law Murfree moved his family from Grantlands into a new house that he had built in Nashville, Tennessee. Although Grantlands remained in full operation, it would not escape the devastation of the Civil War. Due to its location, Grantlands witnessed the occupation of Murfreesboro by Union forces in early 1862, followed by the Battle of Stones River from December 31, 1862 – Jan 2, 1863, as well as the construction of Fortress Rosecrans by the Union Army starting in the spring of 1863. The “Yankees” dismantled the grand old house at Grantlands and presumably used its bricks and timbers in the construction of their fortress.
Fanny Noailles Murfree wrote:
“In the year 1865, there was not a house standing except the two brick office rooms in the yard. There was not a fence rail . . . not a horse or cow or hog, not a tree or shrub except one loan oak on 1,200 acres. Great fortifications rose up grimly, the forlorn fields might have sprouted minie balls if such a miracle were possible, bayonets lay side by side with the Indian relics of former battles – here and there a forgotten bomb – here and there a spend cannon ball – here and there a tiny stove used by the soldiers, battered, broken, forgotten – a torn scrap of an army overcoat – and many deep holes from which the bodies of soldiers had been removed to the [Stones River] national cemetery. . . This is what the Civil War did for beautiful Grantlands.”
In 1871, William Law Murfree sold his house in Nashville, and decided to move his family back to the Grantlands property in Murfreesboro. They built a new home, which they called “New Grantlands.” However, the Murfree family struggled to maintain their farming operations and keep the plantation intact for the next two decades. Ultimately, Grantlands was divided into smaller tracts and sold over the years, especially following the deaths of William Law Murfree in 1892, and Fanny Priscilla Dickinson Murfree in 1902. Of their three children, William Law, Jr., moved out of state, and the two sisters, Fanny Noailles Dickinson Murfree and Mary Noailles Murfree, never married. The two sisters lived rather simple lives in a small cottage within the Murfreesboro city limits well into the 1900s.
The story of the Murfree Family begins with the life and achievements of Colonel Hardy Murfree (1752-1809). He was a lieutenant colonel from North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War and led several successful attacks against the British. In 1780, he married Sally Brickell and they had four children: William Hardy Murfree, Mary Moore Murfree, Matthias Brickell, and Fanny Noailles Murfree. In 1807, Col. Murfree moved onto land granted to him after the war, in Williamson County, Tennessee. He remained there until his death in 1809. Two cities were named in his honor: Murfreesboro, TN and Murfreesboro, NC.
After Col. Hardy’s death, his daughter Fanny Noailles Murfree (1783-1843) inherited his land in Rutherford County, TN. Fanny married David Dickinson (1774-1848) and they had eight children. The Dickinsons built Grantlands plantation in the early 1800s near the town of Murfreesboro.
After the death of David and Fanny Dickinson, their daughter, Fanny Priscilla Dickinson (1816-1902), inherited Grantlands. She married her first cousin, William Law Murfree (1817-1892). They had three children: Fanny Noailles Dickinson Murfree, Mary Noailles Murfree, and William Law Murfree, Jr.
The two daughters, Fanny Noailles Murfree (1846-1941) and Mary Noailles Murfree (1850-1922) never married, and remained in Murfreesboro the rest of their lives. Mary (1850-1922) went on to become a famous writer under the name Charles Edbert Craddock. Fanny and Mary, along with most of their Murfree and Dickinson ancestors, are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro.
In 1850, William Law Murfree owned over 100 enslaved African-Americans at Grantlands plantation, along with over 60 slaves on his cotton plantation in Mississippi. It is unclear what life was like for the slaves at Grantlands since extremely few documents have been found that record their history. However, the stories of former slaves of the Murfree family become more apparent following the Civil War, as they married, had children, sometimes acquired property, and rekindled family connections. Government records reveal those stories through marriage licenses, birth and death records, court records, and property records. Here are some of those stories:
The Story of Sarah and Robert Murfree
Sarah Murfree was born between 1830 and 1835 in North Carolina. She was a slave on Mathias Brickell Murfree’s plantation in Murfreesboro, TN. Mathias was a son of Col. Hardy Murfree and brother-in-law to David Dickinson. In 1853 Mathias willed Sarah to his young daughter, Anna, as her personal servant. Sarah and Anna must have had a very close relationship as Anna later sold a house to Sarah on Maney Ave. in Murfreesboro in 1874.
Sarah Murfree married a man by the name of Robert Murfree on August 19, 1865 in Rutherford County, TN. Both Robert and Sarah took the last name Murfree at the end of the Civil War, but it can only be assumed that they may have lived and worked on the same plantation. After the Civil War, former slaves were granted the rights of full citizenship in America. Many former slaves traveled to the courthouse in Murfreesboro beginning in August 1865 to receive their legal marriage certificate. It is very possible that Sarah and Robert had previously been “married” while enslaved.
Sarah and Robert had six children and lived together in Murfreesboro until Robert’s death in 1904. In September 1908, their daughter Harriet and her husband tried to assume ownership of Sarah’s house on Maney Ave., claiming that Sarah was too elderly and feeble-minded to care for the house. However, Sarah and her other children attempted to defend the house from Harriet by taking her to court. In the end, Sarah lost the house. She died sometime after 1910.
The Story of Carrie Murfree and her family
Under a tree in Evergreen City Cemetery in Murfreeboro stands a lone gravestone that marks the burying place of Carrie Murfree. The tombstone simply records her dates, January 5, 1875 – January 17, 1921, but the records at the Rutherford County Archives reveal more. Carrie was born to Nathaniel Murfree and Adeline Murfree following the Civil War. Nathaniel was the son of Tom and Ellen, “married” slaves who were willed from Mathias Brickell Murfree to his wife Mary Ann Murfree in 1853. Nathaniel married Adeline Jordan on September 6, 1870, and they had at least four daughters including Carrie. At some point between 1900 and 1910, Carrie married a man by the last name of Billingsley. However by 1910, Carrie was living with her mother on Sevier Street in Murfreesboro, and both women were listed as widows. By 1920, Carrie and Adeline moved to East State Street in Murfreesboro and both ladies were working as private cooks. Carrie passed away in 1921 of unknown causes at the age of 38. It is not clear where the rest of her family were buried or why she returned to her maiden name before her death.
The Amazing Painting of Luke Murfree
On a rainy day in the summer of 2002, local Murfreesboro resident Mary Watkins discovered an old painting signed “L. Murfree.” The painting was resting against a discarded couch, which was waiting on the curb for the next trash truck to pick up. The painting came out of an old house, which had once been owned by some of Mary’s relatives. As her curiosity got the best of her, Mary was able to rebuild the story of the mysterious “L. Murfree” using records found at the local library and the Rutherford County Archives.
In 1842, David W. Dickinson deeded a slave woman, Judy age 27, and her daughter, Amelia age 7, to his father David Dickson. When the father, David Dickinson, passed away in 1848, Amelia and Grantlands plantation were part of the “property” that he willed to his daughter, Fanny Priscilla Dickinson Murfree. Amelia later gave birth to Luke, who was born into slavery sometime around 1860, most likely on the Grantlands plantation. By 1880, Luke was boarding with several white professionals in the home of J. E. Scoby. Mr. Scoby was serving as president of a white, private female institute at the time located on Bell Street in Murfreesboro. Luke was listed as a painter on the 1880 census. Luke held various occupations other than “painter” during his lifetime including farm laborer, cook, and pool room manager. He was married twice before his death in 1918. He is buried in the old African-American section of the Evergreen City Cemetery. If it was not for the painting that Luke left behind, maybe we would never have made the connection between the black and white Murfrees at Grantlands Plantation. Today there seems to be little evidence remaining of the once grand Grantlands plantation. Two streets bare mention to the plantation, Murfree Avenue and Grantlands Ave., while two historical markers pay homage to the famous author, Mary Noailles Murfree and also mention “Grantlands.” One of these markers is located at the corner of Broad Street and Medical Center Parkway, while the other is located on Murfree Avenue. The original house was dismantled by the Union Army sometime between 1862-1863, while the second house was razed to make way for a subdivision around 1950.
Starting with urban renewal projects in the 1950s, the beautiful lands that once belonged to the Murfrees were swallowed by the urban sprawl of the city. The “country lane” that led from North Maple Street to New Grantlands became a paved thoroughfare named Lokey Lane. In recent years, that road was widened and renamed Medical Center Parkway. Broad Street (US Highway 41) was created in the late 1950s to relieve traffic congestion on Old Nashville Highway between Murfreesboro and Nashville. Broad Street bisected the old plantation and nearly covers the site of the original house. With the creation of Broad Street came commercial developments including new shopping centers, restaurants, and other businesses. The K-Mart Shopping Center at the corner of West Clark Boulevard and Broad Street paved over the old front yard of the original house.
The largest remaining evidence of the original plantation was removed in 1957. Up until that year, the Dickinson/Murfree family cemetery was still located at the intersection of West Clark Street and Broad Street, in what today is the parking lot for Hooters Restaurant. In 1957, several of the Murfree descendants petitioned the Chancery Court of Rutherford County to have the graves exhumed and moved to the Evergreen City Cemetery. This task was accomplished without protest, and today most of the Murfree ancestors can be found buried in a family plot in Evergreen.
During the Spring of 2011, the Explorations in Public History class at Middle Tennessee State University decided to “re-map” Grantlands plantation. They used historical research and analysis, along with modern technology to retrace the original plantation onto a contemporary map of Murfreesboro. This was a tedious project that involved numerous hours of research in the historical records found at the Rutherford County Archives and other local repositories. By working with the Rutherford County GIS Department, the students were able to “overlay” historical maps of the plantation from the 1800s with contemporary (2010) maps and imagery of Murfreesboro. What they discovered is presented in the photographs to the left. While the original plantation is long gone, Grantlands can still be “seen” in the layout of our city streets, and thru the historical documents that the Murfree family left behind!
A Special Thanks to all the students in the Spring 2011 “Explorations in Public History” class at MTSU: Amber Douglas, Andrew Owensby, Brooke Morrow, Chad Hailstock, Charles Ferguson, Cynthia Hallett, Devin Simmons, Heather Johnson, Michael Edwards, Jamie Galaba, Jason Johns, David Lee, Kellye Booth, Kevin Ratliff, Kris York, Lauren Baud, Matthew Hibdon, Michael Clanton, Michael Douglas, Sean McKeighen, Jessica Graves, Jessica Reeves, Megan Woolfolk, Nathaniel Scott, Randi Williams, Sara Beth Gideon, Sarah Keenan, Sarah Weinstein, Stephen Forte, Thomas Van Zandt, Victor Mendoza
WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE EXHIBIT:
Mr. Matt Murfree; Bethany Hall and all the staff in the Rutherford County GIS Department; Barry Lamb; Jim Laughlin; Rutherford County Archives;
WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS FOR SPEAKING WITH THE CLASS THIS SEMESTER:
Lucinda Cockrell – Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University
Jim Simpson – Rose and Emmett Kennon Sports Hall of Fame, Middle Tennessee State University
Anita Teague and staff – Sam Davis Home & Museum
Cannonsburgh Historic Villiage
Dr. Van West and his staff – Heritage Center of Murfreesboro/Rutherford County
Bethany Hall – Rutherford County GIS Department
Sarah Elizabeth Hickman-McLeod – 1220 Exhibits Gib Backlund – Stones River National Battlefield