Editing Rowland, North Carolina (section)

==History==
The congregation of the [[Ashpole Presbyterian Church]] was founded in the eventual bounds of the community in 1796. Rowland was incorporated in 1889 and named in honor of [[Alfred Rowland]].{{sfn|Powell|1976|p=428}} The first brick building in the town, a hotel and store, was erected in 1892.<ref>{{cite news| title = Oldest Brick Building in Rowland| newspaper = The Robesonian| page = 5| date = February 26, 1951| url = }}</ref> Rowland served as a key market for regional tobacco production until the sector declined in the 1970s.{{sfn|Sider|2015|p=205}} By the mid-2000s the downtown was in physical decline, though by 2015 work had been done to clean up the main thoroughfare and maintain its buildings.{{sfn|Sider|2015|p=207}} The Ashpole Presbyterian Church, [[Centenary Methodist Church (Rowland, North Carolina)|Centenary Methodist Church]], [[Rowland Depot]], and [[Rowland Main Street Historic District]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>