Because History Matters
What’s Waiting For You At Rocktown History?
Buy a book, or make a day of it!
Whether you’re just passing through or you’re a regular visitor to our museum and library, a fascinating experience always awaits at Rocktown History. Take some time to enjoy a self-guided tour of the many exhibits, and you will encounter precious objects of days gone by and discover stories of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County that can’t be found elsewhere.
You’ll also want to join us for special events and educational programming like Third Thursday Talks, exhibit openings, and workshops. You’ll learn from insightful and engaging experts on topics related to our rich local history and their relevance to life today.
If your own roots are what you seek, Rocktown History is your research headquarters. We’re home to an extensive genealogy library with access to national ancestry databases. Our knowledgeable staff and volunteers are ready to help you, no matter where your roots were planted.
Plus, you won’t want to pass up the opportunity to dive deeper into the topics that interest you. The bookstore offers unique history titles and research resources to take home.
The treasures of the past are waiting for you at Rocktown History.
Plan your visit today.
Upcoming Events
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Implementing Imagination
Featured Exhibition, Oct 24, 2025—Jan 31, 2026 Gallery Opening Friday, Oct 24, 5:30-7:00 pm Discover creativity in every tool! Implements are expressions of imaginative problem-solving. In this exhibition, artists share their own creative expression—inspired by common tools. Join us Friday, October 24th, from 5:30…
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A Strange Story of the Armentrout Sisters
with Alan Kaylor Cline Friday, October 10, 2025, 10:30 am Join Alan Kaylor Cline for a fascinating dive into family history as he searches for clues to explain his family tree. Cline’s research explores a puzzling chapter in his Civil War–era family: why did…
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History Book Club
Let’s gather to explore America’s history together. In 2024, Rocktown History and the Massanutton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution invited the community to join a new history book club. Early attendees adopted the general rule to read titles related to American…
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Rocktown History Coffee Mill
The Rocktown History Coffee Mills are brewing up stories from the past! This series of informal gatherings offers you a unique museum experience with Rocktown History’s own curator, researcher, historians, and other local history and genealogy friends. Come get a peek at a featured…
Featured Exhibit
-
Implementing Imagination
Featured Exhibition, Oct 24, 2025—Jan 31, 2026 Gallery Opening Friday, Oct 24, 5:30-7:00 pm Discover creativity in every tool! Implements are expressions of imaginative problem-solving. In this exhibition, artists share their own creative expression—inspired by common tools. Join us Friday, October 24th, from 5:30…
The Natural Chimneys have been a tourist attraction for almost 200 years.
Author Rick Lambert will speak at Rocktown History on Friday, September 5, 2025, at 10:30a.
Genealogy
Family and Local History Research
Whether or not you are Harrisonburg-Rockingham rooted, experienced staff and volunteers are waiting to help you with your family tree or your topic of historical interest.
ORDER RESEARCH
Collection Highlights
The collection of objects and ephemera are the primary source for connecting to the stories of the past.
Klingstein Collection
During WWI, a French family nursed soldier Emmanuel Klingstein (1894-1971) during the 1918 influenza outbreak. The family donated letters and photos in 2020.
Fraktur Document
Pennsylvania Germans brought the tradition of recording significant life events on decorated documents to Rockingham Co. Fraktur are valued for artistic and genealogical details.
Toy Automobile
During the Great Depression, the Sharon Corporation produced toy cars at Eastern Mennonite University as a work study program to help students stay enrolled.
“What A Gem!”
Bumped into this place from a conversation at a hotel in Harrisonburg. This is a great Historical Society. The displays were wonderful and the archive room was filled with valuable genealogy information.
Would never have known about this place! What a gem. And the lady that volunteers was incredibly informative and nice! Worth the time!
Out of the way
We visited on a week day an they where very nice, lots of history and very welcoming staff, easily spent two hours with my kids being entertained and learning. Awesome kids specific activities too!
“Many Informative Displays”
Worth a stop. Museum looks small on the outside but is a bit bigger once you get in. Many informative displays on the Civil War and also some of the other local history.
They also offer lots of brochures about activities in the area. I ended up doing a walking tour of Dayton based on a brochure I found and really enjoyed it. Plan on 45 minutes.
