In 1916, the founding generation of the Scales family opened a funeral home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee — the first African-American family to offer those services in Rutherford County. It was an act of faith, community, and quiet courage, rooted in a belief that every family deserves to be cared for with dignity.
Through the decades that followed — through the Depression, through the Civil Rights era, through every chapter of Murfreesboro's history — the Scales family remained on East State Street. The name changed only once: a generation added "Sons." The address never changed at all.
Today, Tonya Scales Haynes, the fourth generation, leads the home she grew up watching her family run. She stepped into that role in 2012, becoming the first woman to lead the oldest African-American funeral home in Rutherford County.
The Scales & Sons Funeral Home has served this community through every chapter of Murfreesboro's history. For 110 years, the same family has answered the same call — to carry every family through their hardest hour with care, dignity, and grace.
It is the oldest African-American family-owned funeral home in Rutherford County. And it has never closed its doors.
Murfreesboro · Rutherford County · Est. 1916
OFFICE HOURS
Mon – Fri · 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat · By appointment
24/7 emergency line available
A full service in our East State Street chapel — visitation, ceremony, and procession — honoring a life in the way it deserves.
A memorial service before or after cremation — visitation, music, and reflection, with urn selection and personal delivery to family.
A simple, dignified cremation without a formal service — for families who prefer private remembrance on their own schedule and terms.
A more intimate gathering at the cemetery — for families who prefer the simplicity of a single ceremony at the place of final rest.
Full coordination of military honors — flag folding, bugler, veteran's marker, and VA paperwork handled with the respect every service member is owed.
A quiet conversation, well in advance — locking in today's costs and easing the burden on the family who will follow.
The fourth generation of the Scales family to lead this home, Tonya took the helm in 2012 — becoming the first woman to direct Rutherford County's oldest African-American funeral home. She grew up watching her family serve this community, and continues that work today with the same quiet dedication the Scales name has always meant.
Pastor Jackson brings both pastoral care and professional expertise to every family he serves. As a licensed funeral director and pre-need agent, he guides families through the hardest conversations with gentleness, faith, and decades of experience in Rutherford County.
"Every family that walks through our door deserves the same care, the same dignity, and the same respect — regardless of means. That has been our promise since 1916."
Scales & Sons Funeral Home · Murfreesboro, Tennessee24 hours a day. Every day of the year. (615) 893-1313.