Preserving the Courthouse and Exit to Memorials

Exit through the doors to view the outdoor memorials and enjoy the downtown square!

The Rutherford County Courthouse was built in 1859 and is one of Tennessee’s six remaining pre-Civil War courthouses. In the 1950s, due to lack of office space, there was discussion of demolishing the courthouse to build a larger building. Sarah McKelley King led the local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the Confederacy in a campaign to have the courthouse preserved rather than torn down. The campaign was successful, and the building underwent major renovations in the late 1950s, including the addition of the wings in 1959.