First settled in 1737 by members of the Thomas Harrison family, the town of Harrisonburg was recognized by the Virginia House of Delegates in 1780 as the seat of the newly-formed Rockingham County. Always looking forward, the town fathers proclaimed a grand industrial future for the town by the 1890s, and Harrisonburg was incorporated as an independent city in 1916. By the mid-20th century, planned growth, urban renewal, and nearby Interstate 81 had transformed the small town into a metropolis. The remarkable photographs reproduced in Harrisonburg offer glimpses of Harrisonburg's growth from...

Named for a British Prime Minister and carved from Augusta County in 1777, Rockingham County lies at the heart of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. As home to a portion of the Great Wagon Road running southwest from Pennsylvania, the county's culture and landscape reflect the influence of ethnic groups migrating to the frontier along this trail. Rockingham County's rich agricultural traditions have been a constant throughout its history, and while recent population increases have led to the disappearance of much of its rolling farmland, the county maintains a strong adherence to its agricultural...