What do Murfreesboro and Las Vegas have in common? Well, for one, both cities have a high number of restaurants per capita. Another commonality is that only a minority of either population can claim being a native. Few in the Murfreesboro area, or throughout Rutherford County, for that matter, can say they were born and raised here.
Bill Wilson, also known as “Mr. Murfreesboro,” is one individual who can make that claim. He comes from a long line of Rutherford County residents, many of whom have served publicly. His father served as a county commissioner and then, as it was called at that time, the county executive. His grandfather, Bill Wilson Sr., served as sheriff in the ’50s and ’60s and then road superintendent. So, the Wilson family has long had a love for, and is invested in, the area.
Rutherford County Sheriff Bill Wilson Sr., right, making a moonshine bust in 1960
The original “Mr. Murfreesboro” Tommy Martin, left, at the future site of State Farm Insurance Broad St. in Murfreesboro, 1954 / Photo courtesy of Ferrell’s Studio
But the original “Mr. Murfreesboro” was Tommy Martin, a local businessman and philanthropist. He was bestowed the title by the city council decades ago in recognition for all the good he did within the community. When Bill had the idea of creating a Facebook page to keep the public, especially those of us who are transplants, apprised of local history, he asked permission of the Martin family to use the moniker in his posts. That was back in 2015.
Wilson has a love for local history. In addition to talking all things Middle Tennessee, he is also involved in the Rutherford County Historical Society. Through his social media outlet, facebook.com/mrmurfreesboro, he is able to reach a wide audience. His posts include interviewing local dignitaries, walk-throughs of buildings from the Civil War era, the history of the Square or pictures of the old Opryland USA amusement park in Nashville. It’s not just a stroll down memory lane, it’s educational and interesting. Find Mr. Murfreesboro on Instagram as well.
Michael Linn White and Bill Wilson
Another way he is able to share what is happening locally is The Mr. Murfreesboro Show, which airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on WGNS (found at 100.5 and 101.9FM, and at 1450AM). Wilson, along with his co-host Michael Linn White, speak to local people of interest on the hour-long program. When I visited the show, they were interviewing Virgil Gammon, candidate for sheriff. The show was informative, engaging and, as with anything Bill does, also humorous.
Listeners have the opportunity to call in to the live show and ask questions on the air. But if they miss it, the audience can still catch the podcast at wgnsradio.com. The two on-air personalities schedule a variety of guests to keep the show fresh.
“Why are people moving here?” Wilson asks. “It’s because we have a great education system, public and private. We have the largest undergraduate university in the state here. We’re 30 minutes from Nashville and three hours from Atlanta. If you take a pin in a map and go out 500 miles, you are within a day’s drive of 75 percent of the U.S. population.”
Those are all great reminders about the access we enjoy in the ’Boro, and are points considered by new commerce.
Currently, just under 100 are moving to Murfreesboro and surrounding areas every day. It is fun to reminisce about the “good old days,” but for someone new to the area, that act of reminiscing can be a vital resource and insight into a place they now call home. As a Tennessee senator recently said, “We want people to come here, but we want you to become Tennesseans.”
Mr. Murfreesboro offers a way to help the public to do just that.
