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History · Blue Hill

Blue Hill’s post office opened in 1878, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1880.

1878first post office
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Blue Hill began

When was Blue Hill founded?

1878

The Blue Hill post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 138 in 18802020 census: 805148 years
Founding year: the first Blue Hill post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Blue Hill’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 Blue Hill are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1985. Watch Blue Hill change.Old housesHalf of Blue Hill’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Blue Hill’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Blue Hill’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
On the map

Blue Hill on the map, 1898 to 1985

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

Blue Hill on the 1898 USGS mapBlue Hill on the 1969 USGS mapBlue Hill on the 1985 USGS map1898Superior sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Blue Hill came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Blue Hill.

Read it all →

Blue Hill was originally called Belmont, and under the latter name was platted in 1878 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was extended to that point. When it was discovered that another Belmont in the state existed, the name was changed to Blue Hill. The present name alludes to the nearby Blue River.

The Blue Hill Country Club was built in late 50's early 60's by Axel E. Ohlin and son Dale R. Ohlin from nearby Hastings Nebraska.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Blue Hill, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Blue Hill, Nebraska downtown 22010Blue Hill, Nebraska downtown 2Blue Hill, Nebraska downtown 12010Blue Hill, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Blue Hill2005NEMap-doton-Blue Hill
People over time

Blue Hill, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 936

Between 138 and 936 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Blue Hill’s history

What year was Blue Hill founded?

The Blue Hill post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (3), Wikipedia, 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.