Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Roachester was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: old-book passages.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Roachester’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Roachester.
An early variant name was "Salem". Roachester was platted in 1816, and named for James Roach, proprietor. A post office called Rochester was established in 1825, and remained in operation until 1853.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Roachester, cut from the printed page as they were published.
from Lebanon to Cincinnati was completed about the year 1838, and turnpikes from Lebanon to Dayton and Wavnesville were completed one or two years later. From this time forward every year added a few miles to the macadamized roads of the county. The Cincinnati, Montgomery, Hopkinsville, Roachester and Clarksville Macadamized Turnpike Company was chartered in 1834, and the road completed to Hopkinsville about 1840. It is worthy of note that, while this pike followed the line of one of the oldest and most important State roads leading to Cincinnati, yet no bridge was built at the crossing of the Little
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Winchester, Va., for this warrant. The 1,100 acres from the east side was purchased by a Mr. Roach, of Harper’s Ferry, Va., and was settled by his sons, Jonah, George, Phineas and Mahlon. The latter built the house now owned by Mrs. Ward about 1880, and also laid out the village of Roachester. Whitacre’s lands were divided among his children, Moses, John, Andrew, Aquilla and several daughters. William T. lives on the site of his grandfather’s first house. In 1805, when they located on the land, they lived for a time in a hollow sycamore tree on the bank of the fork, near the site of the present bridge. About the year
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nobody well known was born in Roachester itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia 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.
