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History · Brock

Brock dates to 1854, and 64% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1915 on and the census since 1890.

1854founded
0on the National Register
64%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Brock began

When was Brock founded?

1854

Brock dates its founding to 1854 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 348 in 18902020 census: 123172 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓

What stands out about Brock’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 Brock are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Brock’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 543 in 1900; 123 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Brock.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Brock’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brock’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
The story

How Brock came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brock.

Read it all →

Brock was founded in 1854. Through its history, the village has been called Dayton, Howard, Clinton, and Podunk. It was renamed Brock, after a railroad official, when the railroad was built through the town in 1882.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Brock, census by census

01002003004005006001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 543

Peaked at 543 in 1900; 123 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Timeline

Brock, 1854 to 1915

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1854
    FoundingBrock is established
  3. 1867Post officeThe Howard post office opens
  4. 1880Post officeThe Howard post office closes
  5. 1880Post officeThe Podunk post office opens
  6. 1882Post officeThe Podunk post office closes
  7. 1882Post officeThe Brock post office opens
  8. 1895Born hereWilliam Muir is born here
  9. 20th century
  10. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 543
  11. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Brock, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Brock, Nebraska grain elevators2012Brock, Nebraska grain elevatorsBrock, Nebraska Main Street 12012Brock, Nebraska Main Street 1NEMap-doton-Brock2005NEMap-doton-Brock
On the map

Brock on the map, 1915 to 1966

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

Brock on the 1915 USGS mapBrock on the 1966 USGS map1915Howe 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 Brock.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Brock’s post office has been open since 1882. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Howard
1867–1880
Podunk
1880–1882
Brock
1882–today
18601940today
Gone or out of use
Brocklocale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Brock’s history

What year was Brock founded?

In 1854, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Brock’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1890 counted 348 people here.

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 (3), 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.