Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: old-book passages.
The Rosa post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rosa’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rosa yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Rosa is a town in Blount County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 376.
Its first post office opened in 1898. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 316 to 376 (+19%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Rosa, cut from the printed page as they were published.
never held a service or an annual meeting but what there was something mean said about me. The enemy hung out my name at evil’s door. Preachers stood up and proclaimed from their pulpits, “Rosa Young is a devil.” Others proclaimed, “Rosa Young hath a devil.” “Rosa Young is a Jezebel, an antichrist, a false prophet.” ‘Rosa
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Mr. Henry looked up at me, closed his book on his thumb, and rested it upon his knee. “Mr. Henry,” said I, “this is Rosa Young from Rosebud.” He repeated thoughtfully, “Rosa Young, Rosa Young.” “Yes, sir,” said I and proceeded, “Mr. Henry, I do not know whether you believe in the education of the colored people or not; but I have a little matter which I should like to have you look over and help me with if you can, please.”
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Nobody well known was born in Rosa itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Rosa had its own post office from 1898 to 1922.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Rosa post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2019
