A bronze turkey statue standing on a stone pedestal welcomes visitors to the “turkey capital.” An identical turkey statue is near the county's northern border on U.S. 11, the old Valley Turnpike. In the late 1920s, local farmer Charles Wampler pioneered the commercial turkey industry in Rockingham County, sparked by his daughter Ruth's successful 4-H project raising a flock of artificially brooded turkeys. These finely crafted designs of a single, proud turkey stand in tribute to the significant role that the poultry industry and agriculture have played in the Shenandoah Valley. The Roman Bronze Works of New York cast the turkeys.