Hillgrove, initially known as Eleanora Township, was established in 1884 and grew rapidly during the 1880s and 1890s due to expanded mining activities after rail transport from Sydney to Armidale enabled heavy machinery to be brought to the district. At its peak in about 1898, the population numbered around 3,000 and Hillgrove boasted six hotels, four churches, two schools, several banks, a School of Arts, a hospital, a stock exchange, a courthouse, a police station and a cordial factory.
By the 1920s, most of the village's buildings were being dismantled and relocated to Armidale and other centres. The result is a fascinating "town" with lots of signs indicating where buildings once stood and lots of empty blocks of land with scattered, rusting relics that hint at a more prosperous time.
Hillgrove Rural Life and Industry Museum, located in the former Hillgrove Public School built in 1896, showcases the history of the town, its community and the mining industry in the region. Objects in the museum provide some insight into the lives of the nearly 3500 people who lived and worked in Hillgrove between during the 1880s to 1920s.
