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History · Rossburg

Rossburg dates to 1868, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1908 on and the census since 1890.

1868founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Rossburg began

When was Rossburg founded?

1868

Rossburg dates its founding to 1868 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 254 in 18902020 census: 159158 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓

What stands out about Rossburg’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 Rossburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 295 in 1960; 159 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Rossburg.Old housesHalf of Rossburg’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rossburg’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rossburg’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
People over time

Rossburg, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 295

Peaked at 295 in 1960; 159 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Rossburg’s post office has been open since 1905. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Rossville
1869–1873
Hagerman
1883–1905
Rossburg
1905–today
18601940today

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

The story

How Rossburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rossburg.

Read it all →

Rossburg was platted by John G. Ross in 1868. In its early years, the community was also known as "Hagerman"; under this name a post office was established in the community on December 19, 1883, and it operated under this name until November 4, 1905. The village was known as Rossville in 1881 to 1890. The village was very small until a period of growth began circa 1883, when a predecessor of the Cincinnati, Jackson and Mackinaw Railroad built a railroad line through Rossburg.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Rossburg, 1868 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868
    FoundingRossburg is established
  3. 1869Post officeThe Rossville post office opens
  4. 1873Post officeThe Rossville post office closes
  5. 1883Post officeThe Hagerman post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1905Post officeThe Hagerman post office closes
  8. 1905Post officeThe Rossburg post office opens
  9. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 295
By decade

Rossburg, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Rossburg village hall from southwest2015Rossburg village hall from southwestRossburg United Methodist Church2015Rossburg United Methodist ChurchRoss north of Norton2015Ross north of NortonMain from Ross2015Main from RossMap of Darke County Ohio Highlighting Rossburg Village2015Map of Darke County Ohio Highlighting Rossburg VillageMapOHMap-doton-Rossburg2004OHMap-doton-Rossburg
On the map

Rossburg on the map, 1908 to 1961

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

Rossburg on the 1908 USGS mapRossburg on the 1961 USGS map1908St Henry 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 Rossburg.

Questions about Rossburg’s history

What year was Rossburg founded?

In 1868, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Rossburg’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1890 counted 254 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.