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History · Brownville

Brownville dates to 1854, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them the CAPTAIN MERIWETHER LEWIS (dredge), a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 21 buildings. Below: maps from 1915 on and the census since 1860.

1854founded
4on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Brownville began

When was Brownville founded?

1854

Brownville dates its founding to 1854 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 425 in 18602020 census: 139172 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1861.The full story ↓

What stands out about Brownville’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 Brownville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,309 in 1880; 139 people lived here in 2020.A historic districtThe Brownville Historic District takes in 21 historic buildings.A National Historic Landmark4 places on the National Register, including CAPTAIN MERIWETHER LEWIS (dredge), a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Brownville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brownville’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

Brownville, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,400190019502000Peak: 1,309

Peaked at 1,309 in 1880; 139 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

On the National Register

4 listings protect 22 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmark
1
CAPTAIN MERIWETHER LEWIS (dredge)
historic buildings protected
22
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Brownville Historic District
John W. Bennett House, built 1868Brownville BridgeBrownville Historic DistrictCAPTAIN MERIWETHER LEWIS (dredge)★
BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Riveted Warren cantilevered through truss1
Greek Revival1
Gothic Revival1
Italianate1
★ Landmark
CAPTAIN MERIWETHER LEWIS (dredge)Structure
John W. Bennett HouseBuilt 1868
Brownville BridgeRiveted Warren cantilevered through truss
All 4 listings
Brownville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1970

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

The story

How Brownville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brownville.

Read it all →

Established in 1854 and incorporated in 1856, Brownville was the largest town in the Nebraska Territory, with a population of 1,309 by 1880. Bordering slave-holding Missouri, the town became an important port on the Missouri River. Daniel Freeman, the first homesteader to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862, staked his claim at a New Year's Eve party in Brownville.

The first post office was called Brownsville and existed from 1853 to 1870, when it was changed to Brownville; however the name changed may have occurred later since a 1909 Post Office Department map shows the former name.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Brownville, 1854 to 1989

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1854
    FoundingBrownville is established
  3. 1861Post officeThe Brownsville post office opens
  4. 1868BuiltJohn W. Bennett House is built
  5. 1870Post officeThe Brownsville post office closes
  6. 1870Post officeThe Brownville post office opens
  7. 1880CensusPopulation peaks at 1,309
  8. 20th century
  9. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1989LandmarkCAPTAIN MERIWETHER LEWIS (dredge) named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Brownville, decade by decade

Today12 recent
A piece of vintage farm equipment in a small park2021A piece of vintage farm equipment in a small parkA piece of vintage farm equipment in a small park2021A piece of vintage farm equipment in a small parkA vintage building, now (as of 2022) an art studio2021A vintage building, now (as of 2022) an art studioThe 1854 Didier Log Cabin in a small park2021The 1854 Didier Log Cabin in a small parkAn impressive white barn in Nemaha County, Nebraska2021An impressive white barn in Nemaha County, NebraskaAn aptly decorate former dental office is now a small historical exhibit2021An aptly decorate former dental office is now a small…Downtown scene2021Downtown sceneThe Brownville Bridge, a truss bridge over the Missouri River carrying U.S. Route 136 from Nemaha County, Nebraska, nea…2021The Brownville Bridge, a truss bridge over the Missou…The village's small train depot, now a museum2021The village's small train depot, now a museumThe Brownville Heritage Tree, an art project of the historical society2021The Brownville Heritage Tree, an art project of the h…Brownville, Nebraska grain elevators2011Brownville, Nebraska grain elevatorsNEMap-doton-Brownville2005NEMap-doton-Brownville
On the map

Brownville on the map, 1915 to 1966

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

Brownville on the 1915 USGS mapBrownville on the 1939 USGS mapBrownville on the 1949 USGS mapBrownville on the 1966 USGS map1915Nemaha 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 Brownville.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Brownville’s post office has been open since 1870. Another post office, Brownsville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Brownsville
1861–1870
Brownville
1870–today
18601940today
Gone or out of use
Brownvillelocale

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

Questions about Brownville’s history

What year was Brownville founded?

In 1854, according to Wikidata. Brownville’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1860 counted 425 people here.

What is on the National Register in Brownville?

4 listings: 1 building, 1 historic district, the Brownville Historic District, with 21 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 22 historic buildings in all.

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 (2), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.