Please join Brett & Steve in supporting exhibits at Rokeby Museum

What is Rokeby Museum?

Rokeby Museum, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is a National Historic Landmark that was home to four generations of the Robinson family from the late 1700s to the mid-1900s. The Robinsons were multifaceted—Quakers, farmers, artists, craftspeople, writers, and abolitionists. They were also meticulous record-keepers. Because the family rarely parted with objects, documents, and letters (over 15,000 in total!), we can piece together their history—often in their own words. Rokeby’s archive of letters to and from the staunchly abolitionist Robinsons in the mid-1800s has made it one of the most well-documented Underground Railroad sites in the country.

Today, Rokeby honors the legacy of all four generations, showing how their unique stories illuminate history while allowing us to connect with their struggles and triumphs in our own lives. In recent years, the Museum has placed a strong focus on education and discussions surrounding racial and social justice. While offering programs and tours for all ages, it has placed particular emphasis on engaging and educating younger audiences—an increasingly necessary effort. 

Abolition, Art, Agriculture, Advocacy—these words define the essence of Rokeby Museum. Exhibits highlighting these themes are crucial to telling the full story of the Robinsons and their place in both Vermont and American history.

Rokeby’s newest main exhibit, Seeking Freedom: The Underground Railroad and the Legacy of an Abolitionist Family, opened in May 2024. It explores the history of American enslavement, the antislavery movement, and the Robinson family’s complex role as abolitionists.

Our History with Rokeby

We, Steve and Brett, are passionate about Rokeby—not just as a place where history happened, but where history comes alive.

Steve has been involved with Rokeby since 1998. Like many visitors, he was captivated by the Robinson story from the start, returning time and again. As a volunteer, he has provided pro bono design services since 2013 and has designed and installed more than 15 exhibits. He also served on the Board of Trustees from 2017 to 2023 and currently serves on the Museum’s advancement committee.

Brett has become known as Rokeby’s “baker of record,” always eager to provide cookies, potluck dishes, and multiple pies for the annual Pie & Ice Cream Social (last year, he contributed 16 pies). He’s always happy to lend a hand in any way he can.In 2024, Steve completed the design and installation of Seeking Freedom, the museum’s new main exhibit. Working closely with the curators and as a member of the exhibit advisory committee, he was reminded of the profound impact exhibits can have in sharing stories that need to be told—and heard.

Many know Brett as Rokeby’s “baker of record,” always eager to provide cookies, potluck dishes, and multiple pies for the annual Pie & Ice Cream Social (last year, he contributed 16 pies!). He is always happy to lend his time and effort in any way he can.

In 2024, Steve completed the design and installation of Seeking Freedom, the museum’s new main exhibit. Working closely with the curators and as a member of the exhibit advisory committee, he was reminded of the profound impact exhibits can have in sharing stories that need to be told—and heard.

Why Support Rokeby?

We are proud supporters of Rokeby and its mission. Our hope in asking for your support is to help the museum build on its recent history of powerful exhibits—bringing to life the many facets of the Robinson family’s experiences, which, generations later, still resonate with our own.

At a time when history is being erased or rewritten, and funding for historical and cultural institutions is being cut, it is more important than ever to preserve and share these stories.

All contributions made here will go directly toward the development of future exhibits at Rokeby Museum.

Thank you for taking the time to learn why we love Rokeby. We encourage you to explore the website and If you haven’t yet had the chance to visit, we hope you will soon!

—Steve & Brett  

The mission of the museum is to connect visitors
with the human experience of the Underground Railroad
and with the lives of the four generations of Robinsons
who lived at Rokeby from 1793 to 1961.