Rutherford County Collections

Buchanan Family Collection
This collection documents the family of James McGill Buchanan (1919-2013), MTSU alumnus and 1986 winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics. His family has deep roots in middle Tennessee, including an 18th-century settler of Nashville and 19th-century Governor. Mr. Buchanan earned his B.S. at Middle Tennessee State Teachers College in 1940, followed by his M.A. in Economics at UT-Knoxville and his Ph.D. at the Hi,University of Chicago.
Cemetery, a Freedmen's Community, Rutherford County, Tennessee
This collection provides public records, newspaper articles, photographs, an interactive map, and other sources that document the people and land of a large post-emancipation community located north of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, near Stones River National Cemetery. This rural, African American community began to form after the Civil War as formerly enslaved men and women resettled the area and soldiers who had served in the U.S. Colored Troops decided to put down roots where they mustered out.
Freedmen's Bureau Collection
The Freedmen's Bureau digital collection currently includes records for Rutherford County, TN, and surrounding areas that are located in the following series of National Archives Record Group 105: Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands: M816, Freedmen's Savings & Trust Co., 1865-1874, Registers of Depositors; M1000, Records of the Superintendents of Education, Tennessee, 1866-1870; M1911, Records of Field Offices, Tennessee, 1865-1872; T142, Record of Field Offices, Tennessee, 1865-1872. more...
Milton Collection
A collection of 19th century documents from the Milton community in eastern Rutherford County, most associated with the Bilbro family. Importantly, the ledgers of Dr. Bilbro document many names of families who lived in and near Milton in the mid-19th century. All documents are in a private collection.
Rutherford County Health Department Collection
This digital collection, a collaborative project of the Rutherford County Archives and the MTSU’s James E. Walker Library, includes photographs that document public health conditions and services in Rutherford County in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as Maud Ferguson’s account of the first public health nursing service in Rutherford County. Learn more about the collection.
Rutherford County Historical Society Publications
This collection provides digital copies of the occasional publication of the Rutherford County Historical Society. The collection includes Vol. 1 (1973) through Vol. 39 (200?). the digital reproduction the Publication has been done with permission of the Rutherford County Historical Society.
Rutherford County Schools Collection
This collection currently includes photographs of students, teachers and schools in Eagleville, Tennessee and surrounding communities (e.g., College Grove, Rockvale).
See also: Middle Tennessee Oral History Project (Albert Gore Research Center) offers access to audio recordings of more than 500 oral history interviews. Topics include Middle Tennessee State University, African-American community leadership in Murfreesboro, veterans, state and local politics, women's organizations, farming and farm organizations, planning and economic development, and medical history.