Video: Scenery in Murfreesboro, TN: Overall St. Trailhead | Stones River Greenway

This is one of several entry points for the Stones River Greenway in Murfreesboro, TN, but one I didn't know about until this day. Let's take a moment to enjoy the fall leaves and the babbling brook.

The Trail of Tears came through Smyrna

This PDF document can explain it a lot better than I could:
www.sitemason.com/files/iJ0tDa/Trail%20of%20Tears%20Artic...

In 2012, the Native History Association discovered a previously unknown segment of the Trail of Tears where it crossed the Stones River at the former town of Jefferson.

This website tells you how to get there:
www.nativehistoryassociation.org/old_jefferson_hiking.php

It's a 2.5 mile hike starting from the parking lot at the East Fork Recreation Area. New signs here point out it is a Trail of Tears site. The trail starts by passing an abandoned picnic area of the park. The trail will proceed along a closed gravel road: Central Valley Road past a closed water treatment plant. The path goes through a farmland, and then a muddy horse trail. Once the trail makes a 90 degree turn to the left, you are on the old Trail of Tears path.

Cheatham County Bicentennial Trail Bridge

This bridge was originally built in 1901 by the Tennessee Central Railway as they extended their rail line from Nashville west to Clarksville. Around 1990, the tracks west of Ashland City were abandoned and soon many people wanted to convert the old railbed and this bridge to a pedestrian trail. With a partnership between the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Cheatham County Parks Department, the Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail was built and it utilized the old bridge. (The trail parallels the Cumberland River but actually crosses Sycamore Creek.) The iron Parker through truss bridge with a length of 550 ft. was built by American Bridge Co.

For the full story: www.railstotrails.org/news/recurringfeatures/trailmonth/a...
or: www.cumberlandrivertrail.org/history.htm

Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail Bridge near Sunset

The bridge in the photo here does not cross the Cumberland River, but instead is a bridge that's now part of the "Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail" in Cheatham County. Instead, the bridge crosses Sycamore Creek less than a mile before it runs into the Cumberland River.

The Parker Through Truss bridge was originally built by the American Bridge Co. in 1901. The railroad bridge was built by Tennessee Central railway as part of their line that connected Nashville to Clarksville. This portion of line has long since been abandoned (although the current shortline Nashville & Western uses the line from Nashville to Ashland City). In the Mid to late 1990's, the Ashland City Parks and Recreation Department partnered with the Rails to Trails conservancy to convert the former rail line into a the pedestrian trail. For more info about the trail, including directions to the entrance, visit their website here:
cumberlandrivertrail.org/

19th Century Travel

A few segments remain. The Natchez Trace was the method of travel for some, connecting Nashville, Tn to Natchez, MS. Officially established by Congress in the year 1800 as a national route, Andrew Jackson and his troops marched through here and back for the war of 1812.

This segment is still available for visit in Nashville at Warner Park. All of the trail through the park is still available for walking, although this specific segment is not on a trail map and is less travelled. It ends at a closed-for-decades street at the 200 year old Devon Farm.