Washington County Rural Heritage Museum

Our Mission

To preserve the past, educate and stimulate public awareness of the rural heritage in Washington County Maryland prior to 1940.

Who We Are

The Washington County Rural Heritage Museum is managed by the Friends of the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum. "Friends" is a tax-exempt non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Maryland. It is administered by a volunteer board of directors who keep the museum open for tours and special events. All funds raised by the "Friends" are dedicated to the Museum.

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What to See

When you step through the doors of our Transportation, Farm Equipment and Early Life museums you are transported back into the 19th lifestyle of Washington County Maryland. The Transportation museum's stellar collection of bicycles and automobiles, many of which were manufactured in Hagerstown, reflects the rich history of Transportation in Washington County. Hagerstown became known as The Hub City because it served as a major crossroad for many railroad lines, including Western Maryland, Baltimore & Ohio, and Norfolk & Western. The Transportation museum has the only remaining Dahlgren horse drawn carriages and the Crawford Bicycle collection. Together, the museum's three buildings tell the real life story of how people lived, farmed, worked and travelled.

The Rural Heritage Village is a short walk behind the Rural Transportation building. Here you will be able to explore several log homes, a Doctor's office, Cobbler's shop, Broom Maker's shop, Country Store and Blacksmith shop. These buildings were moved from their original locations and are preserved in their native condition.

Walking up the hill behind the Rural Village is the Rural Heritage Homestead. On this site is a windmill, two log homes, an outdoor drying shed, brick fired wood oven, a pavilion to house a sawmill, and a German 4-Square Garden with heirloom plants with a "three sisters" patch of corn, beans and squash.

When you first arrive, please check in by signing the visitor guest log in the Early Life Museum/Welcome Center. You will be greeted by a volunteer and will be able to choose a self-guided tour or guided tour. There is ample parking in front of all the museums.
Please email info.ruralheritagemuseum@gmail.com, or call at least 48 hours in advance to discuss your special needs.

For more things to do in Washington County, visit www.visithagerstown.com

School Field Trips, Scout Groups & Group Tours

We offer programming that includes some of the finest 19th century and early 20th century collections of our local heritage for students of all grade levels during the week and weekends by appointment. Students will learn about our region's beginnings and history and how our rural and agricultural heritage continues to play a role in Washington County today. We are in the process of developing hands-on learning experiences to assist educators in meeting the state standards for 5th grade social studies students in Maryland. Please contact us for more information.

While there is no admission fee, donations are always appreciated as we rely upon them to help offset our programming costs for public school tours, maintain our exhibits and keep our museum open to the public.