The congregation of the Ashpole Presbyterian Church was founded in the eventual bounds of the community in 1796.

[5] Rowland served as a key market for regional tobacco production until the sector declined in the 1970s.

[6] 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.

[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), all land.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 885 people, 441 households, and 244 families residing in the town.

The racial makeup of the town was 70.2% Black, 20.7% White, 5.8% Native American and 1.6% from two or more races.