1860s View of East Main Street

1860s View of East Main Street. Rutherford County, Tennessee. , This view of a tree-lined East Main Street was taken from the courthouse cupola by an unknown photographer., In the left foreground is the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, constructed in 1859. The congregation was unable to complete the interior before the Civil War began and had held services in the basement room. Federal soldiers used the unfinished building as hospital, a barracks, and a prison during the occupation of Murfreesboro., In the right middle of the photo is the Christian Church, with its tall spire and bell tower. Regimental chaplains from the Union held regular services here as long as the troops remained. Other local denominations also met in this place because many of the county’s churches had been requisitioned for use by the army. The structure’s wartime role as a common preaching place protected it from serious physical abuse., At the upper left is the three-story brick Union University building, located about a half mile from the courthouse. Although managed by the Missionary Baptists, the name “Union” symbolized the fact that members of any religious denomination could enroll and participate in the institution. Classes were held until the fall of 1861, when officials established a Confederate hospital at the site. Later, Northern soldiers camped on the grounds, and by the war’s end a number of freed people had taken shelter within the walls. Scavengers removed a considerable amount of building materials during the war. The University reopened briefly in 1869, but closed for good in October 1873.