[324] NEW ILLUSTRATED DRIVING MAP PAYS HOMAGE TO LOCAL WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTIONS IN HONOR OF NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 25, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919, or lrollins@mtsu.edu

NEW ILLUSTRATED DRIVING MAP PAYS HOMAGE TO LOCAL WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTIONS IN HONOR OF NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Locally Produced Brochure Serves as Companion Piece to Heritage Center Exhibit

(MURFREESBORO)—In honor of National Women’s History Month, the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County will debut In the Footsteps of Notable Women: A Self-Guided Tour of Rutherford County, an illustrated driving-tour brochure, as part of its March 4 Community Heritage Lecture Series that will begin at 4:30 p.m.
Lecture participants will receive a copy of the new brochure, which is designed to provide information about how women have contributed to the local community.
“The brochure looks at 24 county historic sites from the perspective of women’s history,” said Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, who will deliver the March 4 talk. “It’s a great way to learn about the county’s rich tradition of female education and community service.”
The new brochure is a companion piece to the exhibit titled “From the Nation’s Capital to Neighborhood Classrooms: Rutherford County Women, Past and Present” that is on display in March at the Heritage Center. The exhibit chronicles the lives of 10 female leaders and the new brochure contributes an in-depth look at some of the individuals and historic sites featured therein.
Some of the sites included on the driving guide will seem obvious, such as the Baskette House, home of the Woman’s Club, in downtown Murfreesboro, as well as the Mary Kate Patterson House, home of a Civil War spy, in La Vergne, van Zelm noted. Others, such as the county courthouse in Murfreesboro and Hilltop-Rosenwald Park in Smyrna, are not at first glance traditional women’s history sites, but reflect local women’s commitment to preservation and commemoration, she noted.
Additionally, the brochure includes a map, produced by Rutherford County GIS, and is available for both local residents and visitors to the area. MTSU’s Office of Publications and Graphics designed the brochure.
Located just off the square at 225 West College St., the center is open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding major holidays) and features local history exhibits and guided walking tours of the town square on the hour. Group tours are available Monday through Saturday by advance reservations. Admission is free. For more information, please call 615-217-8013.
The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is a joint venture between the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Main Street: Murfreesboro/Rutherford County, the City of Murfreesboro and MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, with additional support from the Rutherford County government and State Farm Insurance.
For more information on the Community Heritage Lecture Series, please call the center at 615-217-8013 or send an e-mail to jbutt@mtsu.edu.


• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To receive a jpeg of the Rutherford County Courthouse, with inset of DAR plaque
(Caption: Women have been essential to preservation and commemoration efforts at the county courthouse) or Hilltop-Rosenwald Park, please e-mail your request to Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu.


With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.