About

This stone structure, completed around 1790, is said to be the oldest building in Harrisonburg. It was once believed the house was built in the 1750's and occupied by Thomas Harrison, the town's founder, but recent archaeological research show it may have been built closer the the 1790's. The house served as a place of shelter & hospitality for early travelers.

Harrison, the son of English immigrants, brought his family to settle in the Shenandoah Valley in 1737. By 1778 the Harrison family had laid claim to land in the area that is now Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County. Harrison built a home on Bruce Street that is still standing today. The Commonwealth of Virginia officially organized Rockingham County in 1778.

The following year Harrison deeded two and a half acres of his overall holdings to the new county, which used the property to build the first courthouse on what is still Court Square. The next year an additional 50 acres were added from the Harrison holdings to the two and a half acres and Harrisonburg was recognized as the county seat of Rockingham. In 1780, the city limits were Federal Street to the east, Bruce Street to the south, High Street to the west and Wolfe Street to the north.

In 1789 the Masonic Order was formed in the City, making it the oldest organization still in existence in Harrisonburg.