[015]WHAT’S IN A NAME? NEW EXHIBIT EXPLORES STORIES BEHIND COUNTY’S NAMES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, lrollins@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2919

WHAT’S IN A NAME? NEW EXHIBIT EXPLORES STORIES BEHIND COUNTY’S NAMES
Student-Created Display Reveals History, Folklore Behind Locale Monikers

(MURFREESBORO)—Place Names of Rutherford County, the newest exhibit at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, explores the history and folklore of how communities and geographic landmarks earned their names.
Officially open July 16, the exhibit provides information on topics such as who Walter Hill was and why Murfreesboro’s major river is called the Stones River—and not because of its many stones, as some may surmise.
Regarding the new display, Melissa Zimmerman, heritage programming specialist for the center, said, “Rutherford County has a rich and diverse history, and its place names serve as markers for the people who passed through or settled in the area.”
MTSU students Heather Bailey and Kevin Cason, both Ph.D. candidates in the university’s public history program, created the just-unveiled exhibit.
“Place names of any area can be investigative clues to major events in history and shed light on the heritage of the people who left behind those names,” said Bailey, who works part time at the Heritage Center and at MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, which sponsored the new exhibit.
Calling Place Names of Rutherford County “definitely a team effort,” both Bailey and Cason conducted research, fieldwork and designed the historical exhibit.
“Kevin brought a wealth of archival experience to the project and did an excellent job of tracking down the stories and finding great period photographs for the exhibit,” Zimmerman observed. “(And it’s) because we exist as a public-private partnership with the community, the university and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (that) we can provide practical, hands-on opportunities for MTSU students.”
For his part, “I began with a large list of locations and sites in Rutherford County,” Cason said, “and it was difficult to narrow it down to the 18 that we finally all agreed upon. But the upside is that there is room to expand the exhibit in the future, and this is a solid start.”
Located at 225 W. College St., on the corner of Walnut and College, the Heritage Center is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, excluding major holidays, and features exhibits about local history as well as walking tours of Murfreesboro’s historic public square. Admission is always free.
Place Names of Rutherford County will be on display now through December, alongside the center’s Murfreesboro Civil War Era and Murfreesboro’s Jazz Age exhibits.
“It is important to us that the Heritage Center serves as a learning lab for our students where they have the opportunity to experiment with creating quality exhibits,” said Dr. Carroll Van West, CHP director. “And this exhibit has been really interesting; I’ve always wondered where Lascassas got its name!”
For more information, please call the center directly at (615) 217-8013.

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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request interviews with the exhibits creators, or to receive a related jpeg for editorial use, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at lrollins@mtsu.edu.