Rogerville was a country store in the center of section 4 of Stonefort Township. The store was owned and run by James Rogers. “Uncle Jim” Rogers as he was called, died and the store passed to Louis Beasley. Upon his death it went to Otis Beasley. It was later run by Whitehead and Moore. However, Ezra Moore was the real operator of the store. A sawmill was set up in the bottom of the South Fork of the Saline River in 1900. This gave cause for the store. Some timber was cut until 1940.
The store was a trading place but it was also a social gathering place for neighbors. One memorable evening a young man brought a violin into the store that he had bought at a low price from its former owner, who was financially embarrassed. Several people tried to play the fiddle but could make only unpleasant screeches. Then a mentally retarded boy asked to try. The boy who was considered without intellect or ability drew the bow across the strings and the sound was pleasing. Within five minutes he was playing popular tunes to the astonishment of all present.
James Rogers was a progressive minded man. He owned the first automobile in that part of the county; a Model T Ford.
Uncle Jim’s grandson broke ponies to ride. He also had a race track in a field. Here on weekends he held rodeos. Here also were horse races, each rider betting on his horse to win.
With good roads coming to the entire county during W.P.A. days and the sawmill closing in 1940 trade grew less and less at the Rogerville store. Then it was closed and the building torn down.
Today all signs of the store are gone and few of the young people in the community know it ever existed.
(Ghost Towns of Southern Illinois, by Glenn J. Sneed, published 1977)