Rolesville’s post office opened in 1835, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #135 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Rolesville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2013. Its Register listing is the Dr. Lawrence Branch Young House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1967 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Rolesville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rolesville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rolesville is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #135 of 290 in North Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rolesville’s overall grade.
North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Rolesville’s 1.9 sits near the middle of its state (40% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Rolesville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In the beginning of the nineteenth century, William H. Roles, the namesake of the town, purchased land in the area and settled there. The town was chartered under his leadership in 1837 and became a stagecoach stop. About the same time, Rolesville Baptist Church was founded with Roles also playing a role. Rolesville Slave Auction Site Rolesville was incorporated on January 18, 1837, by the North Carolina Legislature.
Passages that mention Rolesville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Wake County, North Carolina1922 · page 295Read the page →
Read the text
Other places have their factories and schools also. Rolesville has not had a railroad to build her up, and while perhaps the oldest community outside Raleigh, has not increased since the War. Fuquay Springs, where mineral water attracted people for health, has become a good tobacco market, and has grown rapidly since the railroad came, while the water re-
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
Rolesville, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
The Rolesville post office opened in 1835, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Rolesville rank for history?
Rolesville is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #135 of 290 in North Carolina. 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 Rolesville?
One place: the Dr. Lawrence Branch Young House (listed 2003).
How old are the homes in Rolesville?
3% of Rolesville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 2013.
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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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