MURFREESBORO Folks who drive by the Old City Cemetery may not realize the state nominated Andrew Jackson for president on those grounds, now sitting behind barbed wire fencing.
Those walking by the property at 390 E. Vine St. might discover the monument noting this location was the original spot for the citys First Presbyterian Church before the congregation moved to its current home at East College and Spring streets in 1867.
In hopes of giving the Old First Presbyterian Church and Old City Cemetery a National Register of Historic Places recognition, the Murfreesboro Historic Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing today as part of the process. The meeting starts at 3:30 pm in Council Chambers on the first floor of City Hall.
I think its obviously important to the history of Murfreesboro and the region, said Historic Zoning Commissioner Gib Backlund, who is also the chief of operations at Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro. I think the Old City Cemetery closely parallels the history of this town. The historic places in town, when taken all together, tell the story of the growth of the community. They really help establish a sense of place in Murfreesboro. These things make this community.
After getting approval from the local commission, the Tennessee National Register Review Committee will meet in January at the State Historic Commission Office in Nashville to examine the 74-page application prepared by Kevin Smith, a professor and director of anthropology at MTSU.
If approved at the state level, the National Park Service staff will review it for a couple of months before a decision is made on whether the Old First Presbyterian Church and Old City Cemetery grounds will be on the register, said Dan Brown, the certified local government coordinator for the Tennessee Historical Commission.
Preservation process
The guidelines called for in the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 guarantees public input and knowledge must take place before the federal government takes any steps to place property on the register, Brown said.