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Roll Indiana 2010Photo: TwoScarsUp · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Roll

Roll’s post office opened in 1881, and 91% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1962 on.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
91%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: TwoScarsUp · Public domain
Quick answers

How Roll began

When was Roll founded?

1881

The Roll post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

145 years
Founding year: the first Roll post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Roll’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Roll’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Roll’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Roll’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewUS Census 1860 Dundee: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Roll came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Roll.

Read it all →

In the early 19th century, much of what would become the state of Indiana was still frequented by native Indian tribes. The Miami tribe was the most powerful group of Indians in the region, and they were known to visit what would become northern Blackford County. Other tribes that visited the area were the Potawatomi and Delaware. Non-native settlers began arriving in what would become Blackford County during the 1830s. Blackford County was established in 1838 and 1839, as a section of swampland split from the west side of Jay County.

ChaptersDundeeGas boomAfter the boom

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Roll, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s1 item
US Census 1860 Dundee1860US Census 1860 Dundee
Today4 recent
Roll, Indiana2016Roll, IndianaRoll Indiana Commercial District 20102010Roll Indiana Commercial District 2010Roll Indiana Commercial District 2010 v22010Roll Indiana Commercial District 2010 v2Roll Indiana 20102010Roll Indiana 2010
On the map

Roll on the map in 1962

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Roll.

Roll on the 1962 USGS map1962Roll sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Roll.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

US Census 1860 Dundee
Retake this viewUS Census 1860 Dundee, 1860

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Roll’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Roll

Nobody well known was born in Roll itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
T
Thomas Francis, Jr.American physician, virologist, and epidemiolog… · b. 1900
Joseph Warren FordneyAmerican politician · b. 1853
L
Leo Aloysius PursleyCatholic bishop · b. 1902
V
Victor Joseph ReedCatholic bishop · b. 1905
I
Ife HolmesAmerican basketball player · b. 1905
A
Alta LittleAmerican baseball player · b. 1923

Questions about Roll’s history

What year was Roll founded?

The Roll post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (5), Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.