History

History of Roseland

In 1875, Mr. and Mrs. B.F. Evans established a post office in their home, naming it Roseland because of the many wild roses that grew in the area. In April of 1887, the site for the town of Roseland was laid out and the community was born. W.P. Davis was elected as the first mayor of Roseland in 1889, and during the next few years, Roseland began to grow rapidly with both businesses and people. A general store, a hardware store, two grain elevators, a saloon, a drugstore, a hotel, a railroad depot, a newspaper, a bank, a school, and a town church had all been established by the turn of the century. In 1893 and 1894, the population of Roseland was 323, and this grew to 350 by 1895. The early 1900’s were a time period for even more growth in the town of Roseland. In 1904, the Roseland State Bank was chartered, and the Glenwood Township Rural Telephone Company began running their lines into the village. Roseland Cooperative Grain and Supply was formed in 1906, the first brick and cement sidewalks began to be constructed in town in 1907, and 1909 saw the establishment of the Trausch Brothers Brickyard. In August of 1913, a fire began in the R.O. Kerr restaurant, and since the town only had a hand pumper and a bucket brigade to fight the fire with, many of the businesses on the west side of main street were badly damaged or destroyed.

The first street lights were installed in town in April of 1914, and more were added in 1915. A new brick school building was constructed in 1917, and the Roseland Sacred Heart Catholic Church was built in 1921. Trausch’s store was established in 1925, operated by three generations of the Trausch family until it closed in 2002. In 1929, the school was expanded to add a gymnasium and more classroom space.

The 1930’s brought drought, winds, dust, and economic depression, but the people of Roseland persevered, and Roseland emerged into a stable but small agricultural community. In the 1960’s and 70’s, expansions were made to the local grain elevators and the school, and many new houses were built as well as a new facility for the Roseland State Bank.

In the fall of 1986, the Roseland and Bladen Public Schools consolidated to form Silver Lake Public Schools, with the 7-12 attendance center in Roseland, and the PreK-6 attendance center in Bladen. Since then, the schools in the villages of Campbell and Holstein have also consolidated into Silver Lake Schools. A new high school building was built in Roseland in 1995, and the old building was subsequently torn down.

1987 was the year marking the Centennial for the town of Roseland, and the event was commemorated with the publications of the Centennial cookbook and the Centennial history book, along with many other fun activities for the Centennial celebration.

The Roseland Community Foundation was formed in 2007, and fundraising for a new playground began. The playground equipment was installed by community volunteers in the park on Davis Street in 2008.

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Roseland was 235. Businesses in town today include the Roseland Post Office, Reggie’s Bar and Grill, Julie Grabill’s Just Teasin’ Hair Salon, Hastings State Bank – Roseland Branch, Krull Agency, Aurora Co-op Service Station, CHS Agri Service Center, AGP, Timm’s Auto Body and Repair, and many other small businesses in town and the surrounding area.

In 2012, Roseland celebrated 125 years with the Quasquicentennial event on June 30th. The celebration included a 5K Run/Walk, many activities for kids, a parade, a meal, and live entertainment and a dance. The last 125 years have brought many wonderful memories to this tiny Nebraska town, and may the next 125 bring just as many and even more.

*The above information was compiled using the Roseland Centennial History Book, the Roseland Centennial Cookbook, and "A History of Roseland," written by Catherine Trausch Renschler and found online at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~neadams/roseland.htm.