The Rockingham Free Public Library was formed by a group of settlers for Rockingham on October 28, 1799. Rockingham then had an approximate of 1,000 settlers whose shares were sold at a dollar each. As the years passed in Rockingham, the Library developed and grew and on September 6 of 1887 the library opened its doors to the public. Because of the generous donations of the citizens of the community, the library was able to build a new Opera House on the first floor in 1888.

People in the community started to vote on purchasing a land to provide a yearly allowance for library maintenance on Westminster Street and to accept $15,000 gift from the philanthropist and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to construct a library.

Today, through all the struggles that the founders and communities have made to have the Rockingham Free Public Library, it has not failed to continue being one of the most recognized venues to be a center of activity, catering all the people of Rockingham and other areas.