The New Deal in Murfreesboro

This is a walking and driving tour of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County

Murfreesboro and Rutherford County were like many southern communities during the Great Depression. Money and jobs were scarce, but most residents lived on farms where basic needs for shelter and nourishment could be met.

New Deal agencies carried out both relief and recovery projects in the county. Some projects were large, like the Veterans Administration Hospital or rural electrification. Most projects were small, like community sewing projects, school repair, a football stadium at the State Teachers College, or construction of a new National Guard armory and a Scout lodge. Together, in partnership with the community, the New Deal programs built a foundation for a better tomorrow in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. This self-guided tour takes you to many of those New Deal projects that shaped our community.

Within Walking Distance: As you walk, be aware that many of the main roads around you were paved and/or graded by the Farms-to-Market Road Building Program, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program.

Within Walking Distance: 1, 2, 3, and 4

Within Driving Distance: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12