The Location
The historic courthouse is Rutherford County’s most iconic structure. As one of only 6 antebellum courthouses in the State of Tennessee still serving its original purpose, it is also stands as a living piece of Civil War history. Today the Courthouse still serves as the administrative headquarters for the Rutherford County government, and as home to the county’s legislative body, the 21 member County Commission. There are yearly events held at the Historic Courthouse. From the famous Mainstreet Jazzfest in the shadow of the Historic Courthouse, to bands playing Christmas music in the lobby and carriage rides around the Square during the Holidays
The Area
Rutherford County was created from parts of Davidson, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson Counties in 1803. The county was named in honor of Revolutionary War General Griffith Rutherford and was once hunting grounds for the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Shawnee nations. The Stones River, a major tributary of the Cumberland River named for explorer Uriah Stone around 1767, provided a transportation route and water source for settlers and power for mills built throughout the county. From 1818 to 1826, our county seat, Murfreesboro, was the capital of Tennessee.
The Jack Trail GeoTour
The Jack Trail GeoTour is a series of geocaches along the backroads and small towns of Middle Tennessee. There is no fixed itinerary, like on a traditional trail, but rather a series of points of interest in a self-guided, goal-oriented plan. We have created a special passport, which you can download here, which lets you track your progress as you hunt specially placed geocaches along the tour. This passport will help you collect “code words” to qualify for special geocoins for completion of the GeoTour.
