Murfreesboro Diamond

By Charles Goodin

When it comes to local history, the most visible figure is arguably John Huddleston, the man directly responsible for our greatest tourist attraction and for whom we have an annual holiday here in Murfreesboro. In the shadow of such an important legacy, it’s easy to overlook those among us who are already legends in their own time.

Of these local celebrities, three refer to themselves as the “100 Carat Club,” a reference to the total carat weight of diamonds found either by themselves or their ancestors. The club consists of three women: Doris Foshee, Jean Pollock and Shirley Strawn.

Foshee is the granddaughter of Wesley Basham, who found the largest diamond ever discovered in North America, the Uncle Sam Diamond, which weighed in a staggering 40.23 carats.

Coming in second is the Star of Murfreesboro at 34.25 carats which was discovered by Jean Pollock’s husband, John, and is the largest diamond to ever be found by a tourist.

Strawn, already a star in her own right after finding the flawless Strawn/Wagner Diamond and near-perfect Arkansas Patriot, is also the great-great-granddaughter of Lee Jordan Wagner, whose 17.86 carat diamond is on display at the National Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian and is the namesake of a particular plot of ground at the Crater, colloquially known as “Canary Hill.” Tipping the club over the 100 carat mark is Shirley’s great-grandfather, John Wesley Keys’ 13.25 carat white, found in 1911.

Sunday, the 100 Carat Club posed for a historic picture at the Crater of Diamonds and in doing so captured a piece of Murfreesboro’s heritage that ranks up there with Huddleston’s memory in terms of important events. Why is it so significant? In their words, “(This club and this picture) is all about honoring the past miners, whose contributions to our community are irreplaceable, and giving them the long-overdue credit they deserve,” Strawn summed it up by adding, “What other three women in what other town in the world can do something like this?”

Indeed, these three women have made it their responsibility both to pay homage to the accomplishments of their relatives and to promote the wonderful community they call home; and they are doing it in a way that only their unique group is capable of.

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