What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Rokeby Museum

Rokeby Museum presents a nationally significant Underground Railroad story

Rokeby Museum is open seven days a week May to October, and during the winter months for pre-booked groups and special programs.

09/07/2026

Rowland T. Robinson and his wife Rachel were more than just Quakers and radical abolitionists. They supported many causes of social justice, among them a dedication to pacifism and the abolishment of war. In 1837, Robinson was appointed to help draft a Constitution for the newly formed Vermont Peace Society. However, he immediately left when his fellow committee members refused to condemn defensive wars and went on to publish a scathing editorial.

Sadly, Robinson's dream for a country free from war was never realized. However, the hope for peace continues to this day. Join Rokeby Museum this Saturday, 3:00 - 4:30, at the Ferrisburgh Town Hall for "Bridging Divides in a Nation at War: A Vermont Conversation on Peace and Power," a special conversation on this topic with political activist .

"Bridging Divides in a Nation at War" is a Vermont Humanities Council Program hosted by Rokeby Museum. This program is FREE and accessible to the public.

09/04/2026

Rokeby Museum celebrates National Wildlife Day with a selection of some of our favorite faces from our trail cams. Rokeby has three nature trails on our property (Red, Blue, and Green Trail) which make up a 1.5 mile walk through the Robinson family's historic property. These trails are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk year-round.

Recent visitors to Rokeby may have noticed a bit of overgrowth on the trails, but our seasonal trail maintenance has begun in earnest, and Rokeby looks forward to welcoming our regular "ramblers" in the coming weeks.

As always, please be safe, dress appropriately, stick to the trails, and follow all posted signs. Don't forget to stop in to the visitor center and say hello!

08/27/2026

Rokeby Museum is proud to announce the launch of our online collections database! Over 1,000 items owned by the Robinson family are now fully searchable. Simply go to our homepage and select "Collection" > "Online Collections" (or go straight to rokeby.org/collection) to start exploring!

The Rokeby Museum Online Collections Database is an ongoing project. We will continue adding entries and improvements into the future. On each entry is a button in the upper right to send us feedback. We're eager to hear your thoughts!

08/26/2026

Today is the first day of school for Addison County, but the summer's not over yet! Rokeby Museum will be open every day from 10:00am to 5:00pm until October 12th. Now that school is back in session, Rokeby is once again considering requests for on-site field trips into mid-November.

We offer educational tours appropriate for grades 3-12, bringing students through our exhibits, historic house, and outbuildings. We use authentic material from our collections to bring the Underground Railroad to life and demonstrate the courage and resilience of those who traveled it.

We accept requests from all educational institutions and programs, including homeschools. For further information, go to https://rokeby.org/education/ or direct all questions to Education Programs Manager Jonathon Ahl at [email protected].

08/23/2026

Today, Rokeby Museum recognizes the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. On this day, 235 years ago, hundreds of enslaved workers rose up in revolt and killed their enslavers on the island of Haiti, then known as the French colony of Saint-Domingue. This was the start of the Haitian Revolution, which directly led to the abolition of slavery in all French colonies in 1794 and the independence of Haiti in 1804.

The impact of the Haitian Revolution on American enslavement is still debated today. But it can't be denied that the proof that the enslaved could overthrow their enslavers, and the presence of an independent Black-run state so close to the country, was a notable factor in the struggle for abolition for decades.

The Robinsons were pacifists and did not personally condone the use of violence in self-liberation. However, they recognized that such violence was a natural result of the inhumanity of enslavement. Today, Rokeby Museum invites its followers to consider the "historic causes, the methods and the consequences" of slavery and how we can learn from these lessons to eliminate injustice in our current day.

Photo Credit: Monument of Slaves in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. © Pablo Velasquez / Shutterstock.com

08/21/2026

176 years ago, the United States Congress was considering one of the most controversial and unjust laws ever put on the books: the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Outraged abolitionists held conventions to organize resistance to this law, and none were as impactful as the meeting held in Cazenovia, New York, on this day.

The Cazenovia Convention was significant for its explicit call for Freedom Seekers to attend. Organized by abolitionist Gerrit Smith and chaired by Frederick Douglass, the meeting was notably diverse. It is said that 2,000 abolitionists attended. Historians estimate that up to fifty Freedom Seekers may have been present at what became known as the "Fugitive Slave Convention," the largest gathering of the self-emancipated at the time.

Today, Rokeby Museum honors the attendees of the Fugitive Slave Convention for their bravery and willingness to organize. Among its other business, the convention resulted in the publication of "A Letter to the American Slaves from those who have fled from American Slavery," an open letter from the Freedom Seekers which encouraged the enslaved to self-liberate and condoned the use of violence for this end:

"We have said that some of us are non-resistants. But, while such would dissaude you from all violence toward the slaveholder, let it not be supposed, that they regard it as guiltier than those strifes, which even good men are wont to justify. If the American revolutionists had excuse for shedding but one drop of blood, then have the American slaves excuse for making blood to flow, 'even unto the horse-bridles.'"

08/16/2026

Save the date! Rokeby Museum is reviving our Conversations in History series with a special guest speaker. Join us at the Ferrisburgh Town Hall on Saturday, September 12th at 3:00 pm for "Bridging Divides in a Nation at War: A Vermont Conversation on Peace and Power" with . Isaac and audience members will explore the costs and benefits of war for Vermonters, and the role of the Green Mountain State in a country nearly constantly at war.

Isaac Evans-Frantz is a lifelong Vermonter, political activist, and public servant. With the non-partisan Action Corps, Isaac played a pivotal role in Congress’ historic passage of bipartisan legislation reasserting Congress’ power over war during the first Trump administration. Isaac holds a Master in Public Administration from the City University of New York. Through his leadership, Isaac remains committed to advancing freedom and unity for Vermonters and people everywhere.

"Bridging Divides in a Nation at War" is a Vermont Humanities Council Program hosted by Rokeby Museum. This program is FREE and accessible to the public.

08/14/2026

New books are in at Rokeby Museum! We've added a few recent titles to our gift shop. Stop by and pick up some spectacular non-fiction, such as the much-talked about "A Resistance History of the United States" (2026) by Tad Stoermer or "We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance" (2024) by Kellie Carter Jackson. More in the mood for fiction? Try "The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store" (2023) by James McBride, one of our winter Book Club picks, which has remained a staff favorite. And for a taste of something quintessentially Vermont, grab "The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd's Life" (2025), a memoir by Helen Whybrow.

Then, take some time to browse our other great books on offer, including original copies of Rowland E. Robinson's books, as well as unique gifts from local artists. Even before you step foot in our exhibit, there's plenty to see at Rokeby Museum!

08/11/2026

Another Annual Pie & Ice Cream Social comes to a close. Rokeby Museum would like to thank everyone who came out and enjoyed themselves last Sunday. We had over 230 visitors over the course of the day, with dozens of pies sold! A huge thank-you goes to our tireless volunteers who provided pies, set up tents and tables, served visitors, and otherwise made this event a success! We would also like to thank the members of Meander VT for providing live music, as well as the following sponsors for supporting the event: , , Gaines Insurance Agency, and

Rokeby Museum is proud to be a local institution, and it is thanks to visitors like you that we can continue telling our stories for years to come. Be sure to visit again before the summer is finished!

08/09/2026

Today is the day! The Roleby Museum annual Pie & Ice Cream Social is officially open! Stop by to enjoy a slice of pie and a scoop of ice cream for only $8! Choose between 4 flavors of ice cream, and more pie flavors than you can count! The fun doesn't stop there; tour our historic house, walk our grounds, play fun games, enjoy music from Meander VT, and so much more! We're here until 4:00, so don't miss this community favorite! Admission is FREE all day.

Address

4334 Route 7
Ferrisburgh, VT
05456

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+18028773406

Website

http://www.rokeby.org/

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