Public Square

One of my favorite things about Murfreesboro is its Public Square. I try to drive around it at least once a week, carefully leaving home early enough to drop Hardy off at preschool (a mere block off of the Square) to accomplish this. I love to see the displays in the windows of the businesses, and I love to watch people making their way around the Square.

The centerpiece of the Square is the Courthouse, one of 6 antebellum courthouses left in the state. It towers above the Square, standing proud among the maple trees and various statuary memorials on its lawn. There are memorials for a General Rutherford (for whom our county is named), for veterans of various wars. Sitting on one of the benches in front of the Courthouse, one can imagine when this place was once the center of activity for the county. I like to sit there (on the rare occasions I sit still for a bit) and imagine its life. It was once surrounded by Union barricades during the Civil War. Prominent local citizens were housed inside during the Civil War, serving as hostages. It has seen its fair share of controversial trials, trials all but forgotten by today’s busy society. Today the Courthouse is often the antithesis of controversy, as it serves as county offices. It still serves as a rallying point at times. During the summer, the newspaper and Downtown Alliance sponsor monthly Friday night concerts on the lawn, bringing in crowds once again. Back in the spring conservatives gathered for a tea party. My family and I stopped by during their rally, reading the signs and listening to the rhetoric. While I do not agree with all their aims, it felt good to see people gathered together, protesting. It is the cornerstone of freedom, of free speech, and it made me feel more patriotic than any pledge or song has ever made me feel. Watching people with differing opinions than my opinion gather to voice them warmed me and made me proud to be an American.

Murfreesboro is fortunate in that the Square is still tenanted by active businesses, restaurants, and law offices. While most of the life of Murfreesboro does take part on the outskirts of town, in the new subdivisions and mall west of town, there are still vital businesses to be found downtown. There is a wonderful Italian restaurant. There are six barbershops (at least). We take my son to one that also has a pool hall in the back. I always feel deliciously edgy going there, taking my son to a place that has a pool hall in the back and where it is rumored Al Capone once had his haircut. There is an old hardware store on the Square, where I once stopped to buy WD-40 for Ellie’s stroller. The aisles were narrow, reminding me of a time when one did not shop with wide carts.

There is an atmosphere to the square, especially in the fall when the light is softer. My husband often tells me that I am imagining a Square that only exists in my imagination, but I disagree. You can sense the history of a place that has been there for years. There is an atmosphere present, one that is created by years of joy, triumphs, pain, evil, and banality. One cannot help but sense the past, the footsteps of those that came before us when you step into an old store. Sitting under the huge maples of the courthouse, one can sense the struggles that have taken place in and around that building. One can sense the crowds that lawn has hosted.



Almost a hundred years ago, in 1913, a tornado touched down on the or near the Square, devastating blocks of the stores and churches. Amazingly enough, the Courthouse was spared. The images taken of the aftermath, of seeing the Courthouse standing majestically amongst the ruins are haunting. It reminds one of the vitality of the Square, of what it has overcome. It has overcome natural disasters, wars. It has seen itself fade from being the most important spot in town, a gathering spot, to being an afterthought. I cannot tell you of the number of people I know in town that spend weeks or months never going near the Square. All I can say is that it is their loss.