The Origins of the Rockingham County

The Saura Indians, also known as the Cheraw, were one of a number of small Siouan tribes in the colonial backcountry (the modern-day Piedmont). Moving to North Carolina, likely due to Spanish incursions in the mid-16th century, two towns towns were established and occupied until their abandonment in the early eighteenth century. 

Between 1728-1733, the Dan River Valley was surveyed by William Byrd II, who soon after purchased 20,000 acres of the land, attracting prospective farmers. But it was only in 1785, that Rockingham County was officially formed in from Guilford County.

Both the County and town of Wentworth got their names from Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, British Prime Minister from 1765 to 1766 and again in 1782. His advocacy for the repeal of the Stamp Act 1765 made him a popular figure within the colonies. But it was after his first tenure as Prime Minister, when he spent two decades honing his political skill as opposition leader advocating for British colonial rights, that truly cemented him as a popular figure across the Atlantic. When Wentworth took the office of Prime Minister for the second time, in 1782, he changed the previous government's approach, formally accepting the independence of the United States of America and bringing about an end to the war. Despite dying just 14 weeks after taking office, due to an influenza epidemic, Wentworth's legacy lives on, not just in the United States, but in the United Kingdom, where his family's ancestral seat (Rockingham Castle) and palatial residence of the later centuries (Wentworth Woodhouse) are enjoyed by thousands each year.

(Above: Wentworth Woodhouse, Wentworth, South Yorkshire, England: Wikimedia Commons)

(Above: Lord Rockingham painted by Joshua Reynolds: 1768: Royal Collection: Wikimedia Commons)

(Above: Arms of Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham: Sable, a chevron between three leopard's faces: Wikimedia Commons)

(Above: Rockingham Castle main gateway and ancestral Rockingham family seat: Northamptonshire, England: Wikimedia Commons)

At the Heart of Rockingham County

The first session of the Rockingham County Court met at Eagle Falls on the Dan River in 1786. In 1787 a courthouse was established near the geographical center of the County and the settlement was known as Rockingham Courthouse, until it was officially renamed Wentworth in 1798. The Courthouse was replaced in brick in 1824 and remodeled  in the fashionable Victorian style in the early 1880s.

But on the night of October 2nd, 1906, a mercantile building in the Courthouse village square caught fire. The fire spread to the Courthouse and destroyed it. All of its records were recovered except for a few documents, likely tax lists. The Courthouse was rebuilt in 1907 (top left) and the County Jail opposite was built in 1910 (bottom left). The building continued as the County Courthouse until 2011, when it relocated for the first time in 224 years. 

Rockingham County Historical Society

Meanwhile, Rockingham County Historical Society formed in the mid-1950s, made from individuals passionate about preserving the local history that might have easily been lost. This was, in part, a response to the lack of a prior central group or location for the county's history, much of it hidden away in attics and barns. The society was officially incorporated in 1967, at the same time as it raised the funds to purchase the increasingly run-down 1816 Wright Tavern (also known as the Reid Hotel).

The society funded excavations into this rare surviving dog-run building in the 1960s and used it to store many of the historical items they had saved or that members had purchased. They also restored the Tavern to its former glory, sensitively restoring both the interior, exterior and curating period furnishings and tracking down originals that had been sold off during the centuries.  

In addition to the Wright Tavern and adjoining post office building, the society acquired two parcels of land connected to the Revolutionary War, High Rock Ford and Troublesome Creek Ironworks. The former of which would become an historic park trail with Haw river access (that you can visit for free today!). And there are exciting future plans to make Ironworks as accessible and educational to the public.

With distinguished society members such as the late Dr. Lindley Butler, late Charles Rodenbough and County Historian Bob Carter, their tireless efforts over the decades not only built a renown reputation for the society as a repository of knowledge, research and preservation, but laid the foundations that would allow the vision of a Rockingham County museum to become a reality.

(Above: Historic 1816 Wright Tavern, situated across from the courthouse building)

(Above: High Rock Ford historic park)

(Above: Bob Carter pictured at Troublesome Creek Ironworks)

The MARC

Through the tireless passion of the Rockingham County Historical Society, County Commission and fellow advocates, the Museum and Archives of Rockingham County (MARC) came to fruition in 2012.

With exhibits and varied programs from law and order to Bluegrass, natural history to Civil Rights, the MARC welcomes visitors from all over North Carolina and beyond; engaging, educating and preserving the rich and diverse history of the County. Our extensive collections and archives, including many court and genealogy records, have also proven an invaluable community resource to academics and casual researchers alike.

Ranked the number 1 cultural heritage experience for the County, we continue to go from strength to strength, striving to achieve our vision.

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"The Rockingham County Historical Society Museum and Archives is Dedicated to preserving, disseminating and exhibiting the history, culture, and human and natural resources of Rockingham County, North Carolina, for the benefit of present and future generations" - MARC Vision Statement

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