Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Cherry Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Est. Ca. 1863

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 7, 2024

1. Cherry Grove Missionary Baptist Church marker

Inscription. African Americans of different faiths began to meet in the Salem community c. 1863 and out of those religious gatherings Black Baptists formed the Ash Grove Missionary Baptist Church. In 1905 members purchased a new lot of three acres from T.O. Lillard for fifty dollars. They soon renamed the church Cherry Grove due to numerous cherry trees on the property. Under the leadership of Rev. Tom A. Brown, they built a gable-front frame church in 1908 and established a cemetery. The church became a center for African American faith, education, and culture for the Salem Community, a tradition that lives today.

Erected 2024 by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3A 263.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures.

Location. 35° 47.001′ N, 86° 28.021′ W. Marker is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. It is on Yeargan Road east of Armstrong Valley Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4079 Yeargan Rd, Murfreesboro TN 37128, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in Greater Nashville.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Salem Church (approx. 1.9 miles away); Rutherford County / Murfreesboro

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(approx. 3.7 miles away); In Memory of Benjamin Liddon (approx. 3.8 miles away); George Smith Patton, Jr. (approx. 4.1 miles away); Murfreesboro / Rutherford County (approx. 4.3 miles away); Army of the Cumberland (approx. 4.8 miles away); Rutherford County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Office 9-11 Memorial (approx. 4.8 miles away); Benevolent Cemetery (approx. 5.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 7, 2024

2. Cherry Grove Missionary Baptist Church marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 369 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 7, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.