Sun. (April 19, 2026) 2:00PM The Rutherford County Archaeological Society meets in Maney Hall at Oaklands Mansion, 901 N. Maney Ave., Murfreesboro (FREE admission). Award winning historian Robbie D. Jones, M.A., talks on “We’re Gonna March, the history of Civil Rights March Routes". He explores roads and places where many of us drive past every day without realizing the history beneath our wheels...roadways that once served as battlegrounds for equality.

His research looks at march routes not just as paths from point A to point B, but as cultural landscapes that witnessed courage, violence, hope, and transformation. In his words, the streets and highways of the 1950s and 60s became “battlefields--often bloody and sometimes deadly,” where ordinary Americans risked their freedom and their lives to demand equal rights. He notes that these routes are considered sacred ground by many who understand the sacrifices made along them. Jones' presentation will walk attendees through how historians and preservationists identify, document, and evaluate the march routes so they can be protected and commemorated. (Door open 1:30PM, talk is at 2PM, admission is FREE).