The ordinary differential equations governing free vibrations of elastic horizontally curved beams are derived, in which the effects of rotatory inertia and shear deformation as well as the effects of both vertical and torsional inertias are included. Frequencies and mode shapes are computed numerically for parabolic curved beams with the hinged-hinged, hinged-clamped and clamped-clamped ends. Comparisons of natural frequencies between this study and ADINA are made to validate the theories and numerical methods developed herein. The lowest three natural frequency parameters are reported. with and without the effects of rotatory inertia and shear deformation. as functions of the three non-dimensional system parameters: the horizontal rise to span length ratio. the slenderness ratio and the stiffness parameter.