THE HERITAGE CENTER
The Heritage Center
of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County
THE HERITAGE CENTER
of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County
The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County opened its doors in the fall of 2006. Our mission to is tell the engaging and compelling stories of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County to visitors and residents alike, with a special focus on Murfreesboro as a Civil War battlefield and key federal occupation base.
Free and open to the public on Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Heritage Center is a great adventure for residents, visitors, and families!
We tell these stories through diverse exhibits, public programs, educational events, and downtown tours. The Heritage Center also serves as an orientation center directing visitors to historic and cultural sites, resources, and events throughout the county. The Heritage Center and all its events and services are free and open to the public.
The Heritage Center is a joint venture between the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Main Street Murfreesboro/Rutherford County, Inc., the City of Murfreesboro, and the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University. Additional programming support comes from the Rutherford County Government. The Heritage Center is also home to Main Street Murfreesboro, a key non-profit institution that encourages the preservation of the city's historic downtown business district.
Current Exhibits:
"The Time that Changed Everything":
In our permanent signature exhibit, Murfreesboro's Civil War Era shares moving personal accounts of county residents as it traces life-changing local events during and after the Civil War. This exhibit is sponsored by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.
"Rutherford County's Farm Women and Families":
Farm women handled many responsibilities - cooking, cleaning, childcare, tending livestock, operating dairies, and helping in the fields. This exhibit explores how despite the workload, financial instability, and times of racial strife, they navigated the nineteenth and twentieth century’s changes through hard work and creativity. It also features a panel on Rutherford County's Century Farms.
Be sure to visit our sister site at the Rutherford County Courthouse Museum!
The Rutherford County Historic Courthouse Museum, located in the ground floor of the historic courthouse in the heart of Murfreesboro's downtown square, is an ongoing partnership between the Rutherford County Archives, the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. The artifacts on display represent more than 200 years of county history and invite you to explore the diverse growth of our community in connection to broader state and national narratives. We are extremely grateful for the generous support that individuals, organizations, and public officials in our community have provided to the museum.
Coming Soon: We are in the process of developing a new exhibit, "Two Families, Two Revolutions." As the Revolutionary War was ending, William Armstrong, Sr., came to the Holston River Valley in search of new opportunities. He and his family used enslaved labor to work the land and develop the farm from first settlement to 1865. That same year, as the Civil War was ending, Mat Gardner came to the Duck River Valley as an emancipated freedman in search of new opportunities. Both families, one white, one black, grasped the freedoms promised in the Declaration and built not only lasting, impactful farms, but also established community institutions that nurtured and inspired later generations, even to the present. Target opening - Winter 2024.
Hours:
Open Monday through Friday from 10 am – 3 pm.
Free guided tours of the square are available with a week's advance request.
Free guided tours of the square are available with a week's advance request.
Admission:
Free and open to the public.
Location:
225 W. College St.
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Directions:
From I-24, exit 81-B, travel toward Murfreesboro to the Public Square. Go through the Square to the next traffic light at College Street, and turn left. The Heritage Center is located in the second block on the left, at the corner of College and Walnut.
For more information, or for group reservations, please call
(615) 217-8013.