Roll, IN Weather Forecast and Current Conditions

Roll (pronounced "r-awl', rhymes with "fall") is an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Blackford County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Nearly all of the community's businesses have been closed for years. Although the Blackford County Historical Society lists Roll as a ghost town, homes are still maintained in the area, and it is still listed as a populated place by the U.S. Geological Survey. The rural community is located on Indiana State Road 18, about one mile west of its intersection with Indiana State Road 3.

During the 1890s, Roll participated in the Indiana Gas Boom, as oil and gas wells were located nearby. Roll's E.C. Storms Natural Gas Company was one of Blackford County's many gas companies that existed during that time. The Gas Boom gradually ended during the beginning of the 20th century, and many small communities throughout the region never recovered. In addition, the quality of automobiles and roads improved over the following decades — indirectly contributing to the decline of many small communities as consumers drove to larger cities. As the largest community in Washington Township, Roll fared better than smaller communities in the area (such as Silas) because Roll had a better school and more merchants. As transportation improved even more, Roll merchants also lost business to larger communities. After the gas boom prosperity declined, agriculture again ascended to be the most important economic factor in Roll's corner of Blackford County. Unfortunately, prosperity in agriculture is not always reflected in nearby towns such as Roll, and many small towns in the "Corn Belt" continue to decline in size and affluence.

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