A History Lover’s Day in Murfreesboro: Stones River and Beyond
Few towns in Middle Tennessee pack as much history into a short drive as Murfreesboro. It served as the state capital from 1818 to 1826, and at the turn of 1863 two armies collided in the fields northwest of the square in one of the Civil War's bloodiest battles.
This day starts on that battlefield, follows the Union's earthworks toward town, then takes in the courthouse, a historic schoolhouse, a pioneer village and a plantation house, with a Smyrna farm to round it out. Wear good walking shoes.
Stones River National Battlefield
Northwest Murfreesboro · 3501 Old Nashville Hwy., Murfreesboro, TN 37129
From Dec. 31, 1862, to Jan. 2, 1863, William Rosecrans's Union army and Braxton Bragg's Confederates fought across these cedar thickets and open fields. Roughly 24,000 of the 81,000 men engaged were killed, wounded, captured or missing, and Bragg's withdrawal gave the North a badly needed lift. A self-guided tour road links the key ground, including the Hazen Brigade Monument, built by Union soldiers in 1863 and considered the oldest Civil War monument still standing on its original battlefield site. The national cemetery holds more than 7,000 headstones.
Tip: Start at the visitor center for orientation and a park map, then drive the tour road in order so the fighting unfolds the way it happened. Go early, when the fields are quiet and the light is low across the cedars.
More on Murfreesboro.com: Stones River National Battlefield Launches “Stories of Service and Sacrifice” for America 250 · Tourism to Stones River National Battlefield contributes $23.8 million to local economy
Fortress Rosecrans
Old Fort Park, west of downtown · Fortress Rosecrans Trailhead, 1916 Golf Lane, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
After the battle, the Union turned Murfreesboro into a supply base for its push toward Chattanooga and wrapped it in earthworks. Built between January and June 1863, Fortress Rosecrans was the largest enclosed earthen fortification of the war. Sections of its walls and lunettes survive as part of the national battlefield, and a paved loop of just under a mile passes them, with wayside signs explaining what you are seeing.
Tip: Park at the Fortress Rosecrans Trailhead off Golf Lane and stay on the paved path and boardwalks. Those long grassy ridges are the earthworks, and they wear down easily.
More on Murfreesboro.com: Eleven Trailheads, Two Bark Parks, and the Largest Earthen Fort of the Civil War
Rutherford County Historic Courthouse Museum
Downtown square · Historic Rutherford County Courthouse, Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130
A courthouse has stood on this spot since 1813, and the current one, dating to 1859, is one of six antebellum courthouses left in Tennessee. It still houses county offices, and inside, the county archives and MTSU's Center for Historic Preservation run a museum of five exhibit rooms covering more than two centuries of Rutherford County life.
Tip: It is an easy self-guided stop between lunch and a lap around the square. Groups of 10 or more can ask the county for a guided tour.
More on Murfreesboro.com: Rutherford County Courthouse Museum Open House Celebration
Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center
Just south of the square · 415 S. Academy St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Bradley Academy began in 1806 as a school for white males only, and in 1884 it opened to African American students. The current building went up in 1917 and opened the next year as a school for Black children. Today it is a city museum with an original classroom and an exhibit on the county's early settlers, plus programs such as walking tours on Rutherford County's early African American schools.
Tip: Public tour days are limited, so confirm before you go. It sits a short walk south of the square, which makes it a natural pairing with the courthouse.
More on Murfreesboro.com: Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center
Cannonsburgh Village
Downtown, off South Front Street · 312 S. Front St., Murfreesboro, TN 37129
For about a month in 1811, Murfreesboro was called Cannonsburgh, and this village borrowed the name when it opened in 1976 for the nation's Bicentennial. Its gristmill, schoolhouse, doctor's office, general store and blacksmith shop sketch roughly a century of Tennessee life, from the 1830s to the 1930s. Look for the giant cedar bucket, built in 1887 to promote the town's cedar woodworks and sent to world's fairs in Chicago and St. Louis.
Tip: Wander the grounds at your own pace, and check the city calendar for seasonal events such as harvest and pioneer days. Call ahead before a special trip, since private rentals sometimes close the village.
More on Murfreesboro.com: Fifty Years of Cannonsburgh: Murfreesboro’s Pioneer Village Turns the Same Age as Its Bicentennial Roots
Oaklands Mansion
North of the square · 901 N. Maney Ave., Murfreesboro, TN 37130
The Maney family started this house as a two-room brick home in the 1810s and expanded it into an Italianate showplace by 1859, on a plantation where nearly 100 enslaved people lived and worked by 1840. In July 1862, after Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry defeated Union forces in Murfreesboro, a wounded Union colonel was treated inside, and Jefferson Davis visited that December. Tours and exhibits tell the family's story alongside the stories of the people they enslaved.
Tip: Book a guided house tour, then leave time to walk the grounds. The museum's seasonal events, from an autumn Oktoberfest to candlelight tours at Christmas, are worth watching for.
More on Murfreesboro.com: Oaklands Unveils the Untold Stories of the Maney Slaves
Sam Davis Home and Museum
Smyrna · 1399 Sam Davis Road, Smyrna, TN 37167
Sam Davis grew up on this farm. A Confederate scout, he was captured in November 1863 carrying military dispatches and hanged near Pulaski at 21 after refusing to reveal his source in exchange for his freedom. He is buried in the family cemetery here. The 168-acre site includes two historic houses, outbuildings, slave quarters and more than 100 of the Davis family's belongings.
Tip: Give it its own unhurried visit; the guided house tour is the heart of it. Watch the museum's calendar for after-hours tours and seasonal programs.
Plan it
Give the battlefield your morning, then make the short drive to Fortress Rosecrans; cyclists can link the two on the Murfreesboro Greenway, which reaches both the visitor center and Old Fort Park. Have lunch on the square, then walk to the courthouse museum, Bradley Academy and Cannonsburgh, all an easy stroll apart. Oaklands is a short drive north.
Save the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna, a short drive northwest on I-24, for a second morning or a slower afternoon. Several of these sites keep limited weekly schedules and close for holidays or private events, so check current hours before you go.
More Murfreesboro guides: Downtown Murfreesboro: Where to Eat and Shop Around the Square · Murfreesboro Outdoors: Greenways, Parks and Trails · A Family Day in Murfreesboro: Museums, Playgrounds and Farm Fun · all guides
Last checked October 2026. Places change: if something in this guide has, tell us at press@j3media.vip and we will update it.
