Murfreesboro City Map Poster

About Murfreesboro

The earliest variant of the name that became "Murfreesboro" was recorded by Captain Henry Timberlake as "Morristown". In 1819, a town plat for Morristown was laid out and registered in Rutherford County. In 1821, when Tennessee's state capital was moved to Murfreesboro from Nashville, the new city also became known as "Murfreesborough". The town's name changed to Murfreesboro in 1832. In 1862 during the Civil War (1861–65), Confederate forces under General Braxton Bragg occupied much of East Tennessee including Murfressborough; they retreated following their loss at nearby Stones River on New Year's Day 1863. Union forces under General William Rosecrans pursued Bragg and re-took it on December 31 that year; however within two weeks they withdrew back into Kentucky after heavy losses at Battle of Stones River which took place immediately south of town near Liberty Pike (US 231).