Geographic Center of Tennessee-- The Obelisk

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“The Obelisk” marking the geographic center of Tennessee was dedicated June 26, 1976. The land that this monument sits on was donated by Dr. John T. Cunningham. According to an article in the Daily News Journal, this project was undertaken by the Rutherford County Historical Society. However, efforts to find the geographic center of Tennessee began about 150 years prior to this dedication. In 1834 James Hamilton, a professor of mathematics at the University of Nashville, determined that this site was the geographic center of Tennessee. He was commissioned to find this exact location because at the time, the state government was trying to decide where the capital should be, and they wished the capital to be located in the most central part of the state. Murfreesboro was the capital of Tennessee from September 26, 1819 to October 15, 1825. However, in 1843, it was decided that the capital of the state should be Nashville.

“The Obelisk” was sponsored by the Rutherford County Historical Society.