The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County

05/15/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Valeria Eadler for her Merit Award from the Tennessee Historical Commission for "A Century of Health: Transforming Lives in Tennessee." The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County was pleased to host this exhibit and share in this award!

05/05/2026

This is a great way to experience Rutherford County's Revolutionary War history! Pick up your passport at any of the following locations:
La Vergne Public Library
Middle Tennessee State University Honors College
Oaklands Mansion
Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau (RCCVB) Visitor Center
Sam Davis Home
Stones River National Battlefield

Be sure to take a selfie at Lytle Cemetery and then head to the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County to get the cemetery stamp. We're open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hope to see you soon!

02/20/2026

Marshall Keeble, one of the most influential leaders of the Church of Christ in the 20th century, was born in Murfreesboro to formerly enslaved parents in 1878. His family moved to Nashville in 1882, and he began his remarkable preaching career in the 1890s.

As a minister, Keeble preached the gospel all across America. He was also an evangelist who proclaimed the gospel to nations like Canada, Nigeria, and Korea. Under his ministry, he planted over 300 churches and baptized over 30,000 people.

In 1942, he became president of the Nashville Christian Institute and trained a number of preachers. Keeble died in 1968 and more than 3,000 whites and African Americans attended his funeral.

Interested in learning more? Visit our sister site at the Rutherford County Courthouse Museum or visit https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=731.

02/13/2026

Born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1893, Mary Ellen Vaughn played a vital role in supporting Murfreesboro as a nurse, educator, and journalist. She was a graduate of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) and Tennessee Agriculture & Industrial College (now Tennessee State University).

In 1920, Vaughn established the Murfreesboro Union, a newspaper for the African American community, and also served as a nurse for rural health efforts funded by the Commonwealth Fund of New York. In order to assist Black Murfreesboro residents pass voting literacy test requirements, she opened Vaughn’s Training School in her home in 1933. Vaughn’s efforts to increase the African American community’s access to news and education helped equip the community to use their political rights.

Interested in learning more about Mary Ellen Vaughn? Stop by the Heritage Center and pick up your free copy of “In the Footsteps of Notable Women: A Self-Guided Tour of Rutherford County” today!

(Photo courtesy of Bradley Academy)

12/18/2025

The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County will be closed from December 22 through January 4. We will reopen on Monday, January 5 and look forward to seeing you then!

12/10/2025

It sure is chilly out there! Good thing we happen to have several andirons in our “Two Families, Two Revolutions” exhibit to help keep us warm in spirit.

Andirons, also known as firedogs, are metal pieces from the late 18th to early 19th century used in pairs to hold logs in a fireplace, which helped air circulate.

Come warm yourselves up and learn more by visiting the Heritage Center at 225 W College Street any weekday from 10am-3pm. We hope to see you!

11/06/2025

Can you guess what this item on display is?

Many are surprised to find out this is actually a butter churn! This specific model is the Bentwood Butter Churn, which gained popularity in the late 1870s through the early 1900s. Butter was an integral part of Murfreesboro’s industry throughout the early twentieth century.

To learn more about dairy’s impact and the importance of butter churns to Murfreesboro’s history, visit us at the Heritage Center from 10am-3pm on weekdays.

10/13/2025

Do these smiling students look familiar?

Last month, three of our Heritage Center graduate research assistants (Aisha Karamustafic, Paige Hurley, and Liz Nahach) got some excellent experience in historic preservation trades when they volunteered with HistoriCorps to help repair the tool barn at the Homeplace 1850s Working Farm in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area - U.S. Forest Service.

Check out the CHP's Instagram to learn more about their experience: https://www.instagram.com/mtsu_chp/ ().

We're so excited to have students from the Middle Tennessee State University's Center for Historic Preservation joining us at the Homeplace Tool Barn, and we are so thankful for their amazing work. Through targeted outreach to local universities, we engage students in hands-on projects that build valuable trades skills and provide tangible historic preservation experience. But this experience isn't limited to students! We still have one last session happening next week at the Homeplace Tool Barn, and we would love for you to join us and learn a new skill. Visit https://historicorps.org/homeplace-tool-barn-tn-2025/ to learn more, register, and help us drive in the final nail at Homeplace next week!

09/09/2025

New brochure alert!

The American Battlefield Trust's newest brochure, "Road to Freedom," focuses on the African American experience in Tennessee during the Civil War era. Stop by the Heritage Center (225 W. College Street) any weekday from 10am-3pm to pick up a free copy!

08/25/2025

We enjoyed hosting the MTSU College of Liberal Arts Lifelong Learning event last week!