The Old First Presbyterian Church Archaeological Project

June 2-July 3, 2003


A cooperative project of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, and the City of Murfreesboro, Department of Parks and Recreation.

Project Director: Kevin E. Smith, Professor of Anthropology

These pages are an archive of the 2003 First Presbyterian Church Archaeological Project , a cooperative archaeological research project jointly sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, and the City of Murfreesboro, Department of Parks and Recreation. The field project began on June 2 and was completed on July 2, 2003.

The project was conducted in conjunction with and in celebration of the Bicentennial of the creation of Rutherford County.

An on-line archival exhibit catalog of the temporary exhibit "Two Centuries of Hallowed Ground: The Story of Murfreesborough as Told in the Old City Cemetery" is also available.

The primary objectives of the project were:

  1. To locate and investigate the archaeological remains of the original First Presbyterian Church (ca. A.D. 1820-1865), a building of great significance in the history of Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, and the State of Tennessee;
  2. To provide university students with training in the methods and techniques of professional field and laboratory archaeology;
  3. Through public tours, to highlight the significance of the Old City Cemetery and First Presbyterian Church site in local, state, and national history;
  4. To emphasize to the interested public the value of archaeological research on relatively recent historical sites;
  5. To gather sufficient detailed information to nominate this city-owned property to the National Register of Historic Places; and
  6. To assist the city in developing interpretive signage and exhibits related to the property.

History of the First Presbyterian Church

Did We Disturb Any Graves?

Project Staff and Crew

Acknowledgements

List of Known and/or Suspected Burials in the Old City Cemetery.

To learn more about archaeology in Tennessee and elsewhere, you can also visit the "Tennessee Archaeology Net" webpages.

Daily Journal
June/July 2003

At the end of each day, a short narrative and a few photographs of the day's work were posted. Click on the date links to view the excavation progress or [Click Here] to browse the entire project.

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