Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
A Patriotic Pulpit
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
1. A Patriotic Pulpit Marker
The Rostrum is beautifully located in a grove of native trees ... and will be very greatly appreciated by the people who attend the Decoration [Memorial Day] ceremonies.James Gall, Quartermaster Department Inspector, after inspecting the new Stones River rostrum in March 1883.
Only a handful of original rostrums still exist in the United States. Formal platforms for speakers and dignitaries - like one you see reconstructed here - were common to all national cemeteries and provided focal points for decades of patriotic speeches and ceremonies during veterans' reunions and Memorial Day activities in the years following the Civil War. Some even served as bandstands for summer concerts. The original 1883 Stones River rostrum (above) was torn down in 1941-42 after it had deteriorated beyond repair.
Ground-penetrating radar helped archeologists find the foundation of the original Stones River rostrum in 2004.
Erected by Stones River National Battlefield - National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites
this page online
Location. 35° 52.934′ N, 86° 26.002′ W. Marker is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. Marker can be reached from Old Nashville Highway, on the right when traveling north. Located in the Stones River National Cemetery on the Stones River National Battlefield. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Murfreesboro TN 37129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. U.S. Regulars Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Artillery Protects the Supply Line (about 500 feet away); Battle at Stones River (about 600 feet away); This "Precious Dust" (about 600 feet away); Why Fight Here? (about 600 feet away); The Charge Kept Coming, Coming Like the Sea (about 700 feet away); Passing Through Murfreesboro (about 700 feet away); Their Longest, Coldest New Year’s Eve (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.
Also see . . . Stones River National Cemetery. National Park Service site. (Submitted on November 3, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed By Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
2. View of the National Cemetery from atop the Rostrum
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
3. A Patriotic Pulpit Marker
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
4. The Rostrum
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 924 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 3, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 3, 4. submitted on November 3, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
