The story
Read it all →How Rome City came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Rome City.
Rome City was laid out in 1839. A post office has been in operation at the town since 1868.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0AHistory
History · Rome City
Rome City dates to 1839, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 19 buildings. Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1870.
1839founded
2on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Rome City began
When was Rome City founded?
1839
Rome City dates its founding to 1839 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1870.
First census: 351 in 18702020 census: 1,322187 years
How historic is Rome City?
A
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rome City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rome City is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rome City’s overall grade.
Founding era1839, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194025.9% of homes (±9.8) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register2 listings, 20 historic buildings, 169 per 10,000 residents · typical IN town 7.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
NewerOlder
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Rome City’s 169 sits above most of its state (86% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 20 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1839.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.8 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Rome City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Rome City’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rome City’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Rome City, 1839 to 1977
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1839FoundingRome City is established
- 1868Post officeThe Rome City post office opens
- 20th century
- 1956
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1977BuiltKneipp Springs Historic District is built
From the old history books
What they wrote about Rome City in 1902
Passages that mention Rome City, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Alvord's history of Noble County, Indiana ...1902Read the page →
Read the text
with the resources of the state that in 1857 he moved his family to Lagrange county, Ind., and for two years operated a woolen mill at Rome City. He then moved to Noble county, and located in Orange township, on the plat of land which is the present site of Brimfield and which he named in honor of the town of that name in Massa-
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.
By decade
Rome City, decade by decade
2021
2021
2016On the map
Rome City on the map in 1956
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rome City.
1956Albion sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rome City.
On the National Register
2 listings protect 20 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
20
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Gene Stratton Porter Cabin
BuildingsDistricts
All 2 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Rome City, census by census
Between 351 and 1,615 people in every census since 1870.
8 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Rome City’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Rome City
Nobody well known was born in Rome City itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Places now gone
Rome City’s post office has been open since 1868.
Gone or out of use
Kneipp Springs SanitariumbuildingThe Way College of Biblical Researchschool
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Rome City’s history
What year was Rome City founded?
In 1839, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Rome City’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1870 counted 351 people here.
How does Rome City rank for history?
Rome City is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Rome City?
Two places: the Gene Stratton Porter Cabin (listed 1974) and the Kneipp Springs Historic District (2018).
How old are the homes in Rome City?
26% of Rome City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.8 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1964.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.