Much of Rockingham County’s heritage
points to the importance of its greatest natural resource: water.
Most of the county’s early inhabitants
were drawn to the riverbanks. Today, there are remaining
sites and structures along the county’s rivers that
provide a glimpse into the lives of those early people.
The only place in North Carolina where you
can still see remainders of bateau systems is on Rockingham
County’s Dan River. (Bateaux were boats used
in the 19th century for commercial river transportation and
considered the 18-wheelers of that era.)
Other historical
sites throughout the county
include historic districts, houses and buildings listed
on the National Register of Historic Places, a 19th century
tavern, tours of the Karastan rug
mill that made the 1928 “wonder rug" and the historic
Chinqua-Penn Plantation.
Rockingham County is also proud to have
seven sites on the North
Carolina Civil War Trails in
Eden, Madison, Reidsville and Wentworth.
