Aerial View of Murfreesboro's Business Section, image courtesy MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, Ridley Wills collection

In celebration of Murfreesboro’s Bicentennial, The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is hosting a new exhibit, “Wish You Were Here: Postcards of Murfreesboro,” that provides glimpses of the city throughout its 200-year history. The postcards featured in the exhibit are part of a collection donated to the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation by Mr. W. Ridley Wills II. The exhibit will include six panels highlighting 40 of the historic postcards as well as an exhibit case with several of the actual postcards available for viewing and a slideshow of all 281 postcards in the collection.

The postcards emphasize many different aspects of Murfreesboro’s history and document the city’s progress over time. Highlights from the exhibit include the development of the historic Public Square, the arrival of motels in Murfreesboro, the creation of the first educational institutes in the city and the growth of Middle Tennessee State University, as well as the city itself. Visitors will get to see Murfreesboro grow from a small town to a booming city through postcards. What was once a convenient form of communication is now a window to the past.

Sara Beth Gideon, an MTSU Public History master’s student, is the exhibit curator.

Located just off the square at 225 West College Street, The Heritage Center is open at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and features local history exhibits and guided walking tours of the town Square on the hour. Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 217–8013 or visit hcmrc.org.