The Rowan Museum occupies the old Rowan County Courthouse on West Council Street, a handsome Greek Revival brick building from 1854. Its permanent galleries trace the county's history from the colonial frontier through the Civil War and the industrial cotton-mill boom of the early 20th century, with rotating exhibits drawing on the museum's collections of local quilts, ceramics, photographs, and decorative arts.
The museum also runs two related sites — the 1820 Old Stone House at Granite Quarry and the Utzman-Chambers House in town — both included with admission. The staff are knowledgeable and have a list of recommendations for self-guided walks of the historic district.