About Rutherford County

Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2005, the population was 218,292.  Its county seat is Murfreesboro, which is also the geographic center of Tennessee, as well as the center of population of Tennessee . According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,616 km (624 mi). 1,603 km² (619 mi²) of it is land and 13 km² (5 mi²) of it (0.81%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 182,023 people, 66,443 households, and 47,440 families residing in the county. The population density was 114/km² (294/mi²). There were 70,616 housing units at an average density of 44/km² (114/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.73% White, 9.51% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.90% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.32% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 2.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. By 2005 there had been small but noticable shifts. The Latino population had climed to 4.8%, which meant that in light of the growing county population the number of Latinos in the county had nearly doubled, now numbering about 10,000. The African American population had climed to 11.3% of the population. The Asian population had climbed to 2.6% of the population.

Brief History Rutherford County was formed in 1803 from parts of Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties. It was named in honor of Griffith Rutherford (1721-1805). Rutherford was a North Carolina colonial legislator and a Revolutionary War general who settled in Middle Tennessee after the Revolution and served as President of the Council of the Territory of Tennessee before Tennessee attained statehood. The Civil War is forever linked with the history of Rutherford County, Tennessee. A fierce battle took place here between December 31, 1862 and January 2, 1863. More than 81,000 soldiers grappled in the fields and cedar glades along Stones River, and 23,000 became casualties in one of the bloodiest battles fought in the western theater. Rutherford County is home to many historical Civil War sites including The Sam Davis Home. The Oaklands Mansion which served as headquarters to Union and Confederate commands. Forrest's July 13th famous raid on Murfreesboro Where the town was liberated from Tyranical Union control. Frotress Rosecrans which was the largest earthern built fort during the Civil War. The Battle of The Cedars December 1864. Also dozens of skirmishes and the hundreds of campsites. Rutherford County Was devastated by Reconstruction of the Union as where most Southern Communities, but recovered to be the great place it is today! WW2 Manuvers were conducted in the area by General Pattons 2nd Armor Division and other than being home to Seward Air Base which trained some of our finest in Korea and Vietnam, the history of Rutherford County has become fairly quiet but not silent.

Possibly the oldest picture of the public square in Murfreesboro. It is undated but is listed by the library of congress as "During The Union Occupation Of Murfreesboro." This lasted from early 1863 to mid 1866.