Rutherford County, TN
History
Rutherford County was formed in 1803 from parts of Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties, and named in honor of Griffith Rutherford (1721-1805). Rutherford was a North Carolina colonial legislator and a Revolutionary War general who settled in Middle Tennessee after the Revolution and served as President of the Council of the Territory of Tennessee before Tennessee attained statehood.Rutherford County was once hunting grounds for the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Shawnee nations. The Creek War Trace and Nickajack Trail once ran through present day Murfreesboro near Black Fox Springs.
The Stones River, a major tributary of the Cumberland River named for explorer Uriah Stone around 1767, provided a transportation route and water source for settlers and power for mills built throughout the county. Jefferson, a river town now covered by the waters of Percy Priest Lake, was the first county seat. Source: Wikipedia and Rutherford County Historical Society.