Rolla dates to 1844, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #95 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Most of Rolla was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rolla’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rolla is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #95 of 247 in Missouri. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rolla’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Rolla’s 4.4 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 9 historic buildings outnumber those of 75% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1844.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Rolla’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1884Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
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Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the map
Rolla on the map, 1912 to 2004
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rolla. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1912Rolla 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 Rolla.
Timeline
Rolla, 1844 to 1977
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The first European-American settlers in Phelps County arrived in the early 19th century, working as farmers and iron workers along the local rivers, such as the Meramec, the Gasconade, and the
Little Piney. In 1842, John Webber built the first house in what became the City of Rolla. Nine years later, railroad contractor Edmund Ward Bishop, considered to be the founder of Rolla, settled in the area. The state officially established Rolla as a town in 1858.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1844, according to Wikidata. Rolla’s post office opened in 1858, and the census of 1870 counted 1,354 people here.
How does Rolla rank for history?
Rolla is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #95 of 247 in Missouri. 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 Rolla?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Phelps County Jail (listed 1990, the first), and 1 historic district, the Rolla Ranger Station Historic District, with 5 contributing buildings. 9 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Rolla?
3% of Rolla’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
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