MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - On Saturday evening, the Woman’s Club of Murfreesboro welcomed supporters to the Legacy Garden Party, held at the home of Ronnie and Donna Barrett. The gathering blended summer hospitality with a deep sense of purpose: raising funds to continue renovations at the Club’s historic home, the pre‑Civil War Baskette House.

Donna Barrett, a longtime member, summed up the evening’s spirit with a line that seemed to hang in the warm air: “The Woman’s Club of Murfreesboro truly touches every era of this city’s story — from antebellum architecture to wartime occupation to the birth of public literacy.” And she’s right. Few buildings in Murfreesboro carry a timeline as long and as layered as the Baskette House.

A Survivor from 1856 Built in 1856 by Confederate surgeon Robert Turner Baskette and Helen Crichlow, the Italianate home at 221 East College Street is one of the rare pre‑Civil War residences still standing downtown. It endured Union occupation during the Battle of Stones River and later survived the devastating 1913 tornado — a testament to both its sturdy bones and the generations who cared for it.

The Woman’s Club formally purchased the home in 1916, continuing a legacy that began with the Helen Hunt Jackson Reading Club. That group of twelve women founded Murfreesboro’s first public lending library in 1887, a collection they stewarded until 1948. Remarkably, the Club incorporated the Baskette House four years before American women gained the right to vote.

A Century of Civic Leadership Since 1916, the Woman’s Club has served as a cultural and philanthropic anchor — preserving the home, hosting programs, and maintaining the historic book collection that began with those original twelve volumes. The current renovation campaign began seven years ago, after the Club secured 501(c)(3) status and committed to restoring the Baskette House as both a meeting space and a historic landmark.

As with any 170‑year‑old structure, each repair revealed the next challenge. Structural and electrical assessments led to a multi‑phase renovation, coordinated closely with Murfreesboro Codes and Planning to ensure modern standards.

Major Milestones Completed From 2025–2026, the Club completed some of the most difficult and expensive portions of the project: full rewiring of the home, plumbing upgrades, a new roof, boiler, and HVAC system, wall repairs, painting, updates to the assembly room and upstairs apartment, restoration of three original 1856 window sashes, and refurbishing the tenant space. These accomplishments represent years of steady, determined work.

The Final Stretch Past President Aurelia Holden said the Club is “cautiously, but clearly” seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The remaining tasks include additional plumbing improvements, construction of a fully ADA‑compliant bathroom, structural support work beneath key rooms, and continued exterior restoration and weatherproofing. Once complete, the Baskette House will be ready to reopen for meetings, luncheons, and community events.

Saturday’s Garden Party wasn’t just a fundraiser — it was a celebration of progress, perseverance, and the belief that preserving history is a gift to future generations.

For more information about The Woman’s Club of Murfreesboro, visit womansclubmurfreesboro.org.