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

Black Business District

(Mink Slide)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 3, 2025

1. Black Business District Marker

Inscription. The Black Business District was a thriving area in downtown Murfreesboro in the vicinity of Vine Street and South Maple Street. The Black Business District was near the Rutherford County Courthouse and Public Square. There were many black businesses of high esteem that serviced Black and White clientele from the mid-1800s until the early 1970s. The bustling black businesses included grocery and mercantile stores, cafes, billiard parlors, doctors and dental offices, a shoe repair shop, and a funeral home. The businesses slowly dissolved because of urban renewal and gentrification.

Erected 2024 by African American Heritage Society of Rutherford County.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce.

Location. 35° 50.725′ N, 86° 23.573′ W. Marker is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. It is in Downtown. It is on South Maple Street south of South Public Square, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 126 S Maple St, Murfreesboro TN 37130, United

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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 walking distance of this marker: Hardy Murfree (within shouting distance of this marker); Murfreesboro (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Murfreesboro (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battle of Murfreesboro (about 300 feet away); The Square During Occupation (about 300 feet away); Murfreesboro was the Capital of the State of Tennessee (about 300 feet away); Murfreesboro History (about 300 feet away); General Griffith Rutherford (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.

Also see . . . Mink Slide Mammals were only Human. The term

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 4, 2025

2. Black Business District Marker

“mink slide” has been used in cities and towns throughout the southern states since the end of Reconstruction to identify the local black business district. (Greg Tucker, Rutherford County Historical Society president; published in The Daily News Journal, Feb. 21, 2010) (Submitted on May 6, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 5, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 181 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 5, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.