History

Murfreesboro is the geographic and population center of Tennessee. The community is situated within a day’s drive of 75 percent of the nation’s markets and only minutes from three major interstates as well as the Nashville International Airport, the Murfreesboro Municipal Airport and the Smyrna Airport. Murfreesboro is the home of Middle Tennessee State University, the largest undergraduate university in the state with over 23,000 students. There are many significant business hubs located in the community including Nissan, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, General Mills, Ingram Books, State Farm Insurance, Verizon Wireless and Asurion. The population of Murfreesboro is approximately 92,750 with Rutherford County’s being about 232,400 with an estimated trade area of 350,000. The county is the second fastest-growing community in Tennessee and one of the top 100 fastest-growing counties in the country.

During the decades following the Civil War, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad was the primary way that people traveled to the Stones River battlefield.

Railroads transported tons of supplies and thousands of soldiers and animals during the Civil War, making it a vital tool.

Completed in January 1854, the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad played a crucial role in shaping the landscapes of Stones River National Battlefield.

As 1862 drew to a close, President Abraham Lincoln was desperate for a military victory. His armies were stalled, and the terrible defeat at Fredericksburg spread a pall of defeat across the nation. There was also the Emancipation Proclamation to consider. The nation needed a victory to bolster morale and support the proclamation when it went into effect on January 1, 1863.

In 1811, the Tennessee State Legislature appointed a committee to select a new site for the Rutherford County seat. The site eventually chosen was 60 acres of land belonging to Captain William Lytle.