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History · Robeline

Robeline’s post office opened in 1882, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Robeline was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1890.

1882first post office
3on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Robeline began

When was Robeline founded?

1882

The Robeline post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Leolia (1881), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 676 in 18902020 census: 117144 years
Founding year: the first Robeline post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Robeline’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Robeline are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1892 to 1914, drew every building in Robeline.A National Historic Landmark3 places on the National Register, including Los Adaes, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Robeline’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Robeline, building by building, 1892–1914

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Robeline fire insurance map, 1892, sheet 11892Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

3 historic places in Robeline

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmark
1
Los Adaes
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
Robeline Methodist Church
Robeline Methodist ChurchKeegan House, built 1850
BuildingsSites★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Victorian Gothic Revival1
Greek Revival1
Robeline Methodist ChurchVictorian Gothic Revival
Keegan HouseGreek Revival · Built 1850
All 3 listings
Los AdaesSite · listed 1993

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Robeline came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Robeline.

Read it all →

The historic Keegan House, built in 1850 on the Elzey plantation, is located in Robeline.

During 1870–1917, a railroad was built through Robeline and Marthaville, Louisiana. The town became rich with resources and money, but the railroad was abandoned in 1960, and Robeline declined. It now has a convenience store, dollar store, several churches, and considerable wilderness.

In the 1880s, Robeline had a weekly newspaper, the Robeline Reporter.

According to a 2007 report, Robeline was named one of the ten worst speed traps in the state of Louisiana. Robeline made 85.73 percent of its revenue, an average of roughly $1,517 per capita population, from fines and forfeitures in the 2005 fiscal year.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Robeline, 1850 to 1993

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1850BuiltKeegan House is built
  3. 1881Post officeThe Leolia post office opens
  4. 1882Post officeThe Leolia post office closes
  5. 1882Post officeThe Robeline post office opens
  6. 1890Born hereThomas Gilcrease is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1942On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1993LandmarkLos Adaes named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Robeline, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Los Adaes in2019Los Adaes inRobeline, Louisiana 102018Robeline, Louisiana 10Robeline, Louisiana 092018Robeline, Louisiana 09Robeline, Louisiana 062018Robeline, Louisiana 06Robeline, Louisiana 052018Robeline, Louisiana 05Robeline, Louisiana 032018Robeline, Louisiana 03
On the map

Robeline on the map, 1942 to 1988

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Robeline. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Robeline on the 1942 USGS mapRobeline on the 1957 USGS mapRobeline on the 1988 USGS map1942Many sheet · 1:62,500

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

People over time

Robeline, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 676

Between 117 and 676 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Robeline’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Robeline’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, Leolia, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Leolia
1881–1882
Robeline
1882–today
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Robeline’s history

What year was Robeline founded?

The Robeline post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Robeline?

Three places: the Los Adaes (listed 1993), the Robeline Methodist Church (1988) and the Keegan House (1995).

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 (6), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.