Telling the Roselawn Story

At Roselawn True Value Hardware in Roselawn, Indiana, a piece of regional history sits on the shelf by the registers. Several years ago, community members from three area towns—Roselawn, Thayer and Shelby—came together to compile the first 100 years of the area’s history into a book.

“I sat in on the committee meetings that helped determine the content,” says store manager Daren Padgett. “It was a great opportunity to learn so much about the history of our area.”

The book covers the early years, back to 1882. It showcases marriages, families, businesses and the development of the area through 1982.

Padgett volunteered to sell the final copy of the book in the store. The books sell for $50 each, and all the money goes to the local trustee to be invested back into the towns. Padgett says in the first year, they sold out of the first run, about 200 copies.

“People love to look through it and find their family members and learn a little about what life was like back then,” he says. “We will keep selling them as long as they’re available.”