Rome was first established as Washington. The name was changed to Franklin before finally settling on Rome in 1819.[3] A post office was established at Rome that year, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 2008.[4] From 1819 until 1859, Rome was the second county seat of Perry County, after Troy. The Rome Courthouse was built in 1819 to mimic the first Indiana Capitol in Corydon.[5][6] The small town located in the Hoosier National Forest was the home of former Indiana governorEdgar Whitcomb, during the final years of his life.
Rome appeared only once in the U.S. Census as a separately-returned community, when in 1870 it had a population of 221. However, in 1850 an estimate published by the Census placed the population at approximately 349 inhabitants, and by 1854 the Census Office further estimated that the population had risen to 600 people.[9]