Rutherford County, TN—(November 16, 2021) Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron invites the community to a special ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the County’s historic courthouse museum on Sunday, November 21, 2021 at 3 p.m.
“We are extremely excited to showcase our county’s rich history,” said Ketron. “This project has been in the making for quite some time now, and it’s thrilling to see it finally coming to fruition!”
Contained within five rooms of the historic courthouse in Murfreesboro, the new Rutherford County Historic Courthouse Museum highlights the many achievements and advancements in the county’s diverse history from early Native American settlements to the advent of major corporate development in the 1980s.
Along the journey, visitors will be engulfed in the material culture that makes Rutherford County unique, from early period furniture, stories from the military home front, to commerce and community development that help to narrate the county’s history within regional and national context.
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All artifacts on exhibit are from Rutherford County, either donated or on loan from local citizens and historical organizations, giving a personal feel to the stories being told about the county’s history.
Dr. Carroll Van West, Middle Tennessee State University professor and Director of its Center for Historic Preservation, worked closely with Rutherford County Archivist John Lodl for over two years to see the project to completion.
“The historic Rutherford County Courthouse is the jewel of the county,” remarked Dr. West. “Now people from anywhere can come to the courthouse and discover the history, the people, and the traditions that make this community special. Thanks to Mayor Ketron, the county commissioners, all of the county’s history groups, and above all county archivist John Lodl for making this museum a reality.”
Lodl commented on the project, “I have been honored to work with Mayor Ketron on his vision of presenting the citizens of our county with a top-notch museum in the historic courthouse. This is a wonderful initiative to preserve and interpret the diverse history of our county to current and future generations.”
The Rutherford County Historic Courthouse Museum is located at 1 Public Square Murfreesboro, TN and will be open for self-guided tours during regular courthouse business hours Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Future plans include the addition of volunteers serving as museum “ambassadors” who will staff the museum outside of regular business hours to include weekends.
