Murfreesboro's newest senior living community opened with a packed house Thursday evening. The Villages of Murfreesboro at 2250 Willow Oak Trail held a blessing of the building, ribbon cutting, along with hors d'oeuvres and tours of the elegant senior living community...

The Villages of Murfreesboro's Executive Director Terri Deal said the senior population here is exploding . . . .

Deal continued, "The Villages of Murfreesboro is unique in that it offers month-to-month independent living with three home-cooked meals daily. housekeeping, in-house pharmacy, 24-hour security, nurse practitioner, beauty-barber shop, and much more."

The Villages also features The Maud Ferguson Neighborhood, a unique and intimate residential area for persons with advanced dementia or Alzheimer's.

For lovers of local history, Maud Ferguson was the local Red Cross public health nurse who had the dream of securing the backing of New York's Commonwealth Fund and start the Rutherford County Health Department in 1931. Three years before that they built the Rutherford Hospital. The Commonwealth Fund was made from the riches of oil barons John D. Rockefeller, Frank V. Harkness and Henry Flagler.

The hallways at the Villages of Murfreesboro are filled with pictures of early Murfreesboro from the famed Dick Shacklett collection.

Tours of the Villages of Murfreesboro are available by dropping by or phone Ms. Deal to set an appointment: 615-848-3030. You can visit their website at www.TheVillagesMurfreesboro.com.