New exhibit features local women who have made history

The Murfreesboro Post, February 13, 2007

From the Nation’s Capital to Neighborhood Classrooms: Rutherford County Women, Past and Present is a new exhibit currently on view at The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County.

This exhibit explores the contributions of 10 local women from among the thousands of prominent educators, artists, professionals, housewives, and farmwives who have made a difference. This exhibit is sponsored by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. From former First Lady Sarah Childress Polk to educator and activist Myrtle Glanton Lord, Rutherford County women have actively sought to further their fields of interest and the lives of those around them.

The women featured in this exhibit are: Sarah Childress Polk, Political Activist and First Lady · Mary Kate Patterson, Confederate Spy · Willie Betty Newman, Artist and Educator · Will Allen Dromgoole, Writer and Editor · Mary Ellen Vaughn, Journalist, Nurse and Educator · Mary Noailles Murfree, Writer · Emma G. Rogers Roberts, Educator and Administrator · Sarah McKelley King, Heritage Leader · Rhea Seddon, Astronaut · Myrtle Glanton Lord, Educator and Community Activist Visit The Heritage Center at 225 West College Street to learn more about these women – just in time for National Women’s History Month in March.

The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County offers visitors information on area sites and cultural events, in addition to exhibits, programming, and tours.

Current exhibits include The Occupied City, which tells how the Murfreesboro town square became an armed Federal camp during the Civil War and explores the war and Reconstruction era that changed Tennessee forever, and Community Building Blocks: Downtown Murfreesboro’s Historic Architecture, which highlights twelve of Murfreesboro’s architectural landmarks. The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is a partnership effort of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area and Main Street Murfreesboro / Rutherford County, Inc.

The Heritage Center is located at 225 West College Street, at the corner of Walnut and College. Winter hours: Mondays-Fridays, 9am-3pm. Closed for major holidays. FREE.

For directions or further information, call (615) 217-8013. The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area receives funding from the National Park Service and is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University.

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