Gen. Nathaniel Banks Headquarters (Hardesty-Higgins House Visitor Center)

This Trails sign is located on North Main Street between Bruce and Franklin streets in Harrisonburg. Home to the town’s first mayor, Isaac Hardesty, this house was used briefly as headquarters for Union Gen. Nathaniel Banks as he tried to corner Stonewall Jackson in 1862. Located within the Hardesty-Higgins House Visitor Center, visitors will find The Valley Turnpike Museum and the Harrisonburg Rockingham Civil War Orientation Center. The Valley Turnpike Museum highlights the history of the Rt. 11 corridor as the avenue of invasion and the events surrounding it. The museum also has a scale model recreation of 1862 Harrisonburg and engine 199 on display. The Civil War Orientation Center offers visitors the stories of individuals, battles and campaigns through film and interpretation.