Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Fourth of July and the summer has started out awesome. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some football weather. It’s been so hot here lately . . . I complain it’s too hot, but in December I’ll complain it’s too cold. That’s life.

I’d like to talk to y’all about something that’s important to me, and that is history. Did you know we have a Rutherford County Historic Courthouse Museum? It’s located in our Courthouse on the Square. Several rooms on the main floor have been set aside for historical items from Rutherford County. The museum is free but donations are welcomed.

Photos by Bill Wilson

The Courthouse Museum contains heirlooms and pieces of Rutherford County history dating back 200-plus years. All of the contents of the museum were donated by different folks from around the area. Items range from school banners and Civil War artifacts to antique furniture that once filled some of the antebellum homes here. There is a room that deals with the African American heritage regarding education and law enforcement.

Additionally, the Rutherford County Archives on Rice Street holds many of the county’s historical documents, including marriage certificates, deeds, plats, blueprints of government buildings, old maps and more.

You can stop by and visit both to learn more for yourself.

Personally, I like to delve into my own dealings with history in the classroom. You see, I was in Mrs. Moser’s 5th grade class at Campus School and one of our assignments was to dress up like a conqueror or conquistador. I chose Hernando De Soto, because he found the Mississippi River and he had traveled through Tennessee and helped found Memphis. Some might argue that’s not all that good, but since my girlfriend and partner played golf and graduated from Memphis, it’s OK.

I can vividly remember a Sunday night trying on my Hernando De Soto outfit. Of course I had a painted-on mustache with a little goatee. I wore my great-grandmother’s cape from the late 1800s and I had a helmet that my mother covered with aluminum foil to make it look like one of those conqueror helmets. I also had some cool boots that I wore and pants to complete the 1500s outfit. So Monday morning comes around. I’m all dressed up in my garb for Hernando De Soto, and as I opened up the door into Mrs. Moser’s class I hear chuckles and see people just staring at me laughing. Mrs. Moser informed me I was supposed to dress up the following Monday. The whole day I was Hernando De Soto. The mustache did not wash off. I believe this is where some of my problems began.

One would think I wouldn’t like history after that debacle, but honestly, it made me want to know more about history—in particular, our local history. We all have a history, some good, some bad, and that makes up who we are. How many times have we heard “know your history or you’re bound to repeat it”? . . . Or is that insanity?

We are lucky to live in a community that has lots of history, all sorts of history, not only Civil War history. At one time Murfreesboro had several colleges, including Soule College, Union University, Eaton College and of course MTSU, which is still doing great today! So we really were a pulse of the educational norms at that time.

Jordan Hotel

Murfreesboro also at one time had several hotels downtown. You had the Jordan Hotel, which was across from the old City Cafe. Many are familiar with the James K. Polk Hotel, located at the corner of Spring Street and East Main Street, where the Truist Bank building now stands.

There was the Haynes Hotel, located near the corner of College Street and Maple Street, where Miller, Loughry and Beach is now located. There was the Periscope, which was more of a boarding house that sat on North Church Street across from the old Rutherford County Health Department.

I recently got to sit down with our county archivist, John Lodl, to talk to him about the museum and our county archives. He mentioned that there are talks going on about moving some of Rutherford County’s museum from the Courthouse to the old Goldstein’s building, which is now the election commission building, at South Public Square and Church Street.

The museum would be on the first floor, with county offices on the second floor. This is still in consideration by the county commission for funding approval.

I also asked John to show me the oldest document that the Rutherford County Archives had and he showed me a marriage certificate that dates back to 1804. I thought that was cool!

If you have questions, or if you have an old document or something that you think may be historic, go by and see John at 435 Rice St. here in Murfreesboro. The archive’s phone number is 615-867-4609.

If anybody would like to further their interest in history, you should join the Rutherford County Historical Society. Go to their Facebook page or reach out to Carole Robertson White and she will hook you up. The membership is only $25 a year, and that includes a monthly newsletter and several functions the group hosts each year. The Historical Society meets at the old Ransom School on North Academy Street in Murfreesboro.

If you haven’t visited the museum in the courthouse yet, go by and check it out! It’s open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In closing, I would like to say Happy Birthday to my partner and girlfriend Meredith Thomas on the 20th of August, my mother on the 22nd and Mere’s mother, Peggy Thomas, on the 24th of August!

And remember to go out and do something nice for someone else! Until next time, God bless.