The land where Rubonia was laid out was part of an 80-acre plot that Albert Stonelake, a United States Union Army surgeon, purchased in 1868.

[2] DeVoursney died in 1904 and his estate sold the land in 1911 to William and Nellie Smith, who platted the area in 1913 with plans to develop it as a neighborhood known as East Terra Ceia.

Allyn claimed that his friend, Charles R. Capp, vice-president of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, selected the name in his honor.

The community gained some attention in 1973 when it served as the filming location of the movie Ride in a Pink Car which starred Glenn Corbett.

The event dates back to 1980 when Luanne Topp (aka Ruby Rubonia) wanted to go to the New Orleans Mardi Gras to celebrate her birthday.