As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, there is a natural pull to look back — to reconsider the people, places and moments that shaped the nation.In Monroe County, Wisconsin, that reflection carries a certain irony. The county bears the name of James Monroe, the nation’s fifth president, even though he never set foot in the region. Yet the story of Monroe County is not defined by its namesake, but by the generations of people who built lives there — and by one man who has spent more than two decades making sure those lives are remembered.
For more than 20 years, Jarrod Roll has served as director of the Monroe County Local History Room and Museum, a position that is at once highly visible and largely unseen.
Visitors know him as the person who can guide them through exhibits, answer obscure questions, or help trace a family lineage. But much of his work happens quietly — behind the scenes, in the steady, meticulous effort required to collect, preserve and interpret the story of an entire county...
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- - Volume: 26 - WEEK: 22 Date: 5/26/2026 4:08:51 PM -