Harber’s History Lesson, Daily News Journal, December 6, 2014, Susan Harber The social season of the century came alive in the midst of a brutal war in Rutherford County with the wedding of Mattie Ready and John Hunt Morgan. Their 1862 military wedding was the highlight in a dismal and…
Harber’s History Lesson, Daily News Journal, November 15, 2014, Susan Harber My home is just a stone’s throw from Stones River, and I have often mused on the origin of these powerful yet humble waters. Glancing back in time, I was amazed at the history of this river named by a…
Greg Tucker, Murfreesboro Post, November 8, 2014 Two years after the first City Café closed, a former competitor claimed the name. The origins of Cantrell’s Restaurant, later known as the City Café, are unclear, but deed records confirm that it was operating in 1920 at 11 South Side Public Square…
Harber’s History Lesson, Daily News Journal, November 2, 2014, Susan Harber Zadie Beatrice Bowling Key lived a very full life as an advocate for Rutherford County and could only be described as a “go-getter.” She was born on Oct. 21, 1921 to Beatrice Kelton and John William Bowling. John was born…
The Daily News Journal, October 21, 2014 With great gratitude for extensive research from Native American historian Pat Cummins, I have been able to piece together a story of a priceless heirloom near my home. From the mid-1790s through the early 1800s, the east and west forks of Stones River…
Harber’s History Lesson, Daily News Journal, October 4, 2014, Susan Harber The word “spy” has an Old French etymology meaning “look out” and “watch closely.” Our story today centers on an individual who performed this role exceptionally well. Mary Kate Patterson was a beautiful, young woman with a slender frame and…
Gloria Shacklett Christy, The Murfreesboro Post, August 3, 2014 There is not a week that goes by that I don’t hear someone who grew up here say, “What has happened to Rutherford County. I just don’t recognize it anymore. I’m really glad that I grew up here in those good…
Gloria Shacklett Christy, The Murfreesboro Post, July 20, 2014 It was the 1950’s and 60s – the days of the greasers, sock hops, hula hoops, Luci and Desi, “kookie,” televisions topped with rabbit ears, and restaurants lined with multi-colored, neon designs. All of these symbolized American popular culture of the…
Gina Logue, Murfreesboro Post, June 29, 2014 The next time you visit a national historic site, stop to consider the quality of the exhibits and the way the information is presented to you. You might be learning something from an MTSU student. Some MTSU history majors left their mark on…
DAILY NEWS JOURNAL, GREG TUCKER, 6/8/2014 It began with “Yankee capital” and ended with a tavern, but off and on for nine decades it was a much anticipated Rutherford County event. In 1868 a group of northern investors acquired part of the Alfred Miller estate about two miles south…