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History · Nebo

Nebo’s post office opened in 1840, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the John Cox House. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1880.

1840first post office
1on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Nebo began, and where its name came from

When was Nebo founded?

1840

The Nebo post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 174 in 18802020 census: 211186 years

How did Nebo get its name?

Nebo was named for the Biblical Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land.

Founding year: the first Nebo post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Nebo’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Nebo are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 338 in 1960; 211 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1840: 186 years of Nebo.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nebo’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nebo’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Nebo, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 338

Peaked at 338 in 1960; 211 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Nebo’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Nebo, 1840 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1840Post officeThe Nebo post office opens
  3. 1875BuiltJohn Cox House is built
  4. 20th century
  5. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1911Born hereMildred Waltrip is born here
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 338
The story

How Nebo came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Nebo.

Read it all →

Nebo was established by pioneer and merchant Alfred Townes in 1840. It was named for the Biblical Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land. The city incorporated in 1861.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Nebo, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Nebo-water-tower-ky2018Nebo-water-tower-kyNebo-US41A-ky2018Nebo-US41A-kyNebo-RR-tracks-ky2018Nebo-RR-tracks-kyNebo-Community-Center-ky2018Nebo-Community-Center-ky
On the map

Nebo on the map, 1909 to 1954

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Nebo. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Nebo on the 1909 USGS mapNebo on the 1954 USGS map1909Earlington sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Nebo.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Nebo

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
John Cox House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

I-House1
All 1 listings
John Cox HouseBuilding · listed 1988

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Nebo’s history

What year was Nebo founded?

The Nebo post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Nebo?

One place: the John Cox House (listed 1988).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.