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–Not graded
History · Carroll

Carroll dates to 1886, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1971 on, and the census since 1890.

1886founded
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Carroll began

When was Carroll founded?

1886

Carroll dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 68 in 18902020 census: 191140 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1887.The full story ↓

What stands out about Carroll’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 448 in 1920; 191 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Carroll’s homes were built before 1949.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Carroll’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Carroll, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 448

Peaked at 448 in 1920; 191 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Carroll came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Carroll.

Read it all →

Carroll was established in 1886 when the railroad was extended to that point. It is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Carroll, 1880 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880In the archive1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Carroll - ED 90-5
  3. 1886
    FoundingCarroll is established
  4. 1887Post officeThe Carroll post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 448
  7. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Carroll, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Carroll - ED 90-518801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE)…
1890s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
Carroll, Nebraska downtown 22010Carroll, Nebraska downtown 2Carroll, Nebraska downtown 12010Carroll, Nebraska downtown 1Carroll, Nebraska S end from E2010Carroll, Nebraska S end from ECarroll, Nebraska N end from E2010Carroll, Nebraska N end from ENEMap-doton-Carroll2005NEMap-doton-Carroll
On the map

Carroll on the map, 1971 to 1985

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

Carroll on the 1971 USGS mapCarroll on the 1985 USGS map1971Carroll sheet · 1:24,000

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

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Carroll - ED 90-5
Retake this view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Carroll - ED 90-5, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Carroll’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Carroll’s post office has been open since 1887.

Gone or out of use
Carrolllocale

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

Questions about Carroll’s history

What year was Carroll founded?

In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Carroll’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1890 counted 68 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 (6), 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.