Lytle Cemetery Preservation Workshop

Group of Stones River National Battlefield staff and partners at Lytle Cemetery at the conclusion of the workshop.

NPS photo

Sometimes our efforts to care for Stones River National Cemetery have an impact beyond that hallowed ground. On April 22, 2026, Stones River National Battlefield, in partnership with the Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation and the Sons of the American Revolution (Stones River Chapter), recently completed a three-day cemetery preservation workshop at the historic Lytle Cemetery in Murfreesboro.

Funded by the National Park Service, the workshop brought an expert instructor from the Campaign for Historic Trades to provide hands-on training in historic preservation techniques, masonry cleaning, and repair. Participants included members of the Sons of the American Revolution, Stones River National Cemetery staff, Middle Tennessee State University students, and staff from Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department.

Participants applied their skills at Lytle Cemetery, helping stabilize and preserve historic grave markers damaged by vandalism last summer. Lytle Cemetery is the final resting place of Captain William Lytle, a Revolutionary War veteran and founder of Murfreesboro, along with generations of his family. The site holds deep significance to the community and Tennessee.

Park employees and interns in the Traditional Trades Apprentice Program (TTAP) gained valuable experience they can apply to maintaining the national cemetery, while our partners developed skills they can use to continue the work of preserving Lytle Cemetery and other historic cemeteries throughout our community.

The workshop advances Department of the Interior goals by strengthening coordination with local partners and engaging the community in preservation efforts. It also supports preparations for the 250th anniversary of the United States by building local capacity to care for historic resources. With more than 1,000 known cemeteries in Rutherford County, most of them historic, this work meets a clear local need.

This workshop is intended to be the first in a series of community-based cemetery preservation trainings led by Stones River National Battlefield and its partners. Through efforts like this, the National Park Service and its partners continue to preserve our nation's shared heritage while strengthening community stewardship.