Rockingham Union Lodge No. 27, A.F. & A.M.

                                                          Harrisonburg, Virginia

Rockingham Union Lodge No. 27 was chartered on October 27, 1789. Rockingham County had been in existence for eleven years and the city of Harrisonburg was nine years old.

The Lodge met during its early years in the home of Brother William Cravens, but the location of his home has been lost in history. It appears that it was in Rockingham County, a short distance from the city. On July 14, 1796, the Lodge held its first meeting in a newly constructed, two-story log structure, located on the southwest side of East Market Street, just beyond Federal Alley. The Lodges second temple was located at the corner of South Main and West Water Street with the cornerstone being laid on July 4, 1860, by representatives of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. On September 5, 1905, the Grand Lodge of Virginia laid the cornerstone of the present temple and the building was occupied in December 1906.

The Lodge has laid many cornerstones of prominent local buildings including: the Rockingham Courthouse, the first educational building at James Madison University in 1909, Harrisonburg Methodist Church in 1911, and Thomas Harrison Junior High School, formally Harrisonburg High School in 1927.