MTSU Center for Historic Preservation

The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County

Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area

The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County

The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County explores the area's rich history, including the Civil War era, through exhibits and public programs and serves as a learning laboratory for MTSU students. Students completed an online version of the new music exhibit. (Photo courtesy of MTSU's Albert Gore Research Center.)

Tennessee Century Farms

Since 1985, the Center for Historic Preservation has honored the dedication and contributions of families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years. More than 1,800 farms have been recognized, with at least one farm in each of Tennessee's counties. Shown here is the Fermanagh-Ross Farm in Greene County.

Teaching with Primary Sources

Teaching with Primary Sources--Middle Tennessee State University, a program of the Library of Congress administered for Tennessee educators by the CHP, holds workshops across the state for K-12 teachers and librarians. Summer institutes link primary sources with historic sites.

Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area

As a program of the Center for Historic Preservation, Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area provides leadership and support to organizations across the state, creating opportunities for education, interpretation, preservation, and economic development.

Preservation Guides

We have several preservation guides that provide hands-on tips and historical background essays for resources in historic African American communities and along the Trail of Tears.

Welcome to Savannah Grandey!

Savannah Grandey joined the Center at the end of June as our fieldwork coordinator. A former graduate research assistant at the Center, Savannah received her MA in Public History from MTSU in 2014. Her research interests include the intersection of human rights and historic preservation, rural landscapes, and Muscogee Creek history and culture.

Trials, Triumphs, and Transformations: Tennesseans’ Search for Citizenship, Community, and Opportunity

Newly updated, with a renewed focus on citizenship, the Trials, Triumphs, and Transformations digital collection emphasizes the impact of federal and state government programs as Tennessee moved into the modern era. The rise of industry during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is also featured.

The Trail of Tears at the Hiwassee River Heritage Center

Amy Kostine, the CHP's Trail of Tears project historian, is assisting the Hiwassee River Heritage Center in the development of new exhibits, following up on her significant contributions to the center's original exhibits a few years ago. The interpretive center is a certified site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.