The Historical Society of

Rockland County

Join us for Second Sunday Crafts for Kids -- October 12, 2025!
Come to the HSRC on the second Sunday of the month, 12-4 pm, and kids will enjoy a themed craft
in connection with our exhibition “Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County.”

The craft project is free with adult museum admission.


For additional spring-summer hours of operation, click here.

A Brief History of Rockland County

Rockland County is the smallest county in New York State outside the five boroughs of New York City. It is bounded by the Hudson River on the east, the State of New Jersey on the south, and the Ramapo Mountains to the north and west. Although the county consists of only 176 square miles, it is a land rich in history.

To a newcomer, Rockland County may appear to be border-to-border housing developments built over the past forty years, but its historical roots go back almost four hundred years—more than ten thousand years if you include Native American history. Records indicate that the first residents were the Indians of the Delaware or Lenape Nation, who were scattered throughout the county in small bands. ...

More About Rockland County

Exhibitions

2025 Exhibition

Home Grown

A History of Farming in Rockland County

The 2025 exhibition explores key eras of our region’s rich agricultural history, from Lenape cultivation to the community farms of today.

Learn More

Now Playing: September Podcast

Crossroads of
Rockland History

2025 Historical Homes & Landmarks Tour: Tappan

Host Clare Sheridan will welcome members of the Tappantown Historical Society to discuss the upcoming Historic Homes & Landmark Tour, which will take place on October 4, 2025

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Upcoming Events

12th Annual Fall Festival

October 19, 12-4 pm

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Bus Daytrip: Vanderbilt Mansion

October 24, 8:30 am-4 pm

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Annual History Luncheon

Thursday, October 30, 1 pm

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Rev250 Lecture:
Loyalists in the Revolution

Sunday, November 9, 1 pm

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Make a Donation!

Rockland County Local History Event Calendar

Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat

28

Lecture: Riverside Moguls, Part 2

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

1pm O'town Museum: Exhibition Opening: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

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29

30

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

1

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

2

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

3

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

4

10am Fort Montgomery: Twin Forts Day

10am HSRC: Tappan Historic Homes & Landmarks Tour

11:30am Stony Point Battlefield: Lighthouse Visiting Hours

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5

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

1pm O'town Museum: Exhibition Opening: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

6

7

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

8

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

9

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

10

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

11

12

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

12pm HSRC: Second Kids' Crafts

1pm O'town Museum: Exhibition Opening: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

Show all

13

14

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

15

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

16

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

7pm HS-Nyacks: Regular Meeting

17

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

18

2pm Stony Point Battlefield: Guided Battlefield Walk

19

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

1pm O'town Museum: Exhibition Opening: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

20

21

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

22

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

23

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

24

8:20am HSRC: Vanderbilt Mansion Bus Daytrip

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

Show all

25

26

12pm HSRC: Exhibition - Home Grown: A History of Farming in Rockland County

1pm O'town Museum: Exhibition Opening: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

27

28

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

7pm Genealogical Society of RC: Monthly Meeting

29

30

12pm HSRC: Annual History Luncheon: Protecting the Ramapo Pass

31

10am O'town Museum Exhibition: "1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco: Orangetown and the Bicentennial"

1

Press Room


South of the Mountains

Dive into a world of captivating stories, insightful discussions, and endless entertainment.

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Issues of South of the Mountains from 1957 to 2013 are available in fully searchable PDF form online via the New York Heritage portal.

Access the Collection

NEW ISSUE!

2025 Historic

Preservation Merit Awards

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April-June 2025

The New Exhibit:

"Home Grown"

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January-March 2025

The New Magazine


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Collections

The Historical Society of Rockland County's collection comprises approximately 3,650 objects that date from the early eighteenth century to the present.

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Podcasts


Crossroads of

Rockland History

Host Clare Sheridan welcomes guests every month to explore, celebrate and learn about the rich history of Rockland County and New York's Lower Hudson Valley.

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August 2025
Lost Hamlets of the Palisades Interstate Park
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July 2025
Theater History
with Richard Skipper
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June 2025

Haverstraw Juneteenth
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