Roberts was a station on the Oregon Electric Railway four miles SW of Salem. When the railways was built south of Salem about 1911, the station was named Livesley in compiment to T.A. Livesley, a prominent hop grower of the locality and owner of T.A. Livesley & Company. In 1925 Roberts bought the Livesley interest and the firm became John J. Roberts & Company. The name of the station was changed to Roberts at that time.