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Guided Walking Tours

schoolhouse

The Schoolhouse Visitor Centre is the starting point for daily guided walking tours of some of the key historic buildings and exhibits at Historic Rugby.   At the Schoolhouse, richly-detailed interpretive exhibits - including an award winning documentary - take visitors through a century of Rugby history.  From there a tour guide will take you to the Thomas Hughes Free Public Library and to Hughes' home Kingstone Lisle.  A visit to Christ Church Episcopal is included at no extra charge. Occasionlly open to the public on Saturdays and during various events is the Rugby Printing Works.  You'll also enjoy a visit to Laurel Dale Cemetary, where Thomas' mother Margaret Hughes and many other early colonists are buried.
Schoolhouse Visitor Centre

In 1880 the Board of Aid to Land Ownership, headed by Hughes, had an imposing, three-story structure built here to serve as a school, town hall and temporary church.  The building burned in 1906.  With many school age children still in the village, the present county school was built in 1907.  Classes continued here until 1950.   Historic Rugby has restored the building and installed extensive exhibitry including schoolhouse furnishings and dozens of historic photographs of early Rugby.

librarysm.jpg (9866 bytes)Hughes Free Public Library

This library is virtually unchanged since it opened in 1882.  Its diverse, 7000-volume collection was donated primarily by American publishers in honor of Hughes and represents the entire spectrum of reading tastes of the late Victorian period.   The building is painted its original colors.
lisle4.jpg (11065 bytes)Kingstone Lisle

Founder Thomas Hughes' house is based on an 'English Rural Style' cottage drawnby the famous American landscape and architectural designer Andrew Jackson Downing.  It clearly reflects Hughes' and Downing's shared belief that buildings should harmonize with their natural surroundings.  Furnished today with many original Rugby pieces, the cottage reveals much about early life in Rugby and is also painted its original colors.
church1.jpg (8451 bytes)Christ Church Episcopal

This lovely example of Carpenter Gothic architecture, like all Rugby's early buildings, was constructed of the virgin pine, walnut and poplar which covered the Plateau in the 1880s.   The church is painted it's original colors and contains all its early furnishings, light fixtures and rosewood organ.  It has been used continuously for public worship since 1887.  Visitors are welcome at services every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time.
printshp.jpg (12044 bytes)Rugby Printing Works

The nearby village of Deer Lodge was founded as a direct result of Rugby a century ago.  This delightfully detailed wood printshop was built there by Abner Ross, the first proprietor of Rugby's Tabard Inn Hotel.  It was moved to Rugby in the 1970's and authentically restored and furnished.