Rockingham dates to 1784, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #35 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 181 buildings. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1826.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rockingham’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rockingham is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #35 of 290 in North Carolina. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rockingham’s overall grade.
North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Rockingham’s 213 sits above most of its state (86% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 191 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1784.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Rockingham’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Rockingham’s post office has been open since 1826. Another post office, East Rockingham, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Rockingham
1826–today
East Rockingham
1924–1951
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bunker HillEast RockinghamEast Side ParkFive PointsGlenwoodHoney TownKnob HillMaplewoodMidwayRichmond Park Extension
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Rockingham
East SideEast Side
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Rockingham, building by building, 1885–1918
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The city was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, British Prime Minister from 1765 to 1766 and again in 1782. Rockingham's administration was dominated by the issue of the Thirteen Colonies. Rockingham wanted to repeal the Stamp Act 1765 and won a Commons vote in 1766 on the repeal resolution by 275 to 167. As a result, he was a popular figure among British colonists in America (who would later become known simply as "Americans"). People in North Carolina were still sympathetic toward him in the years following the United States gaining independence.
Passages that mention Rockingham, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Sketches of the county of Rockingham, N.C.1884 · page 27Read the page →
Read the text
Rockingham county was formed from Guilford county in 1785, and was named in honor of Charles Watson Wentworth, Marquis of Rockingham, who was a distinguished friend of America in the English Parliament. Wentworth, the county-seat, is named in honor of the family of the House of Rockingham.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Sketches of the county of Rockingham, N.C.1884 · page 17Read the page →
Read the text
partly built, would run by Madison up the Dan. As to health, climate, water-power, and all natural resources, and as to the excellence of its present population, in the best qualities of mind and heart, notownship of the good county of Rockingham surpasses this. The town of Madison, beautifully located in the forks of the Dan and Mayo, named in honor of the President of that name and founded about 1820, is a pleasant village, with excellent hotel, good
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Rockingham, 1784 to 1971
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1784, according to Wikidata. Rockingham’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1870 counted 454 people here.
How does Rockingham rank for history?
Rockingham is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #35 of 290 in North Carolina. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Rockingham?
8 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Richmond County Courthouse (listed 1979, the first), and 1 historic district, the Rockingham Historic District, with 181 contributing buildings. 191 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Rockingham?
11% of Rockingham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1967.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1911
1917
1917
1919
1922
1922
1933
1933
