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History · Chappell

Chappell’s post office opened in 1884, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Deuel County Courthouse and the Fred and Minnie Meyer Sudman House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1910.

1884first post office
2on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chappell’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chappell began, and where its name came from

When was Chappell founded?

1884

The Chappell post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 329 in 19102020 census: 844142 years

How did Chappell get its name?

Chappell was named for Charles Henry Chappell, a railroad official.

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

What stands out about Chappell’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.On the map since 19003 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1985. Watch Chappell change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,297 in 1950; 844 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Chappell’s homes were built before 1945.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chappell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chappell’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 viewChappell 1898: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Chappell on the map, 1900 to 1985

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

Chappell on the 1900 USGS mapChappell on the 1961 USGS mapChappell on the 1985 USGS map1900Chappell 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 Chappell.

People over time

Chappell, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,400192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,297

Peaked at 1,297 in 1950; 844 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Chappell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chappell.

Read it all →

Chappell was platted in 1884 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Charles Henry Chappell, a railroad official.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Chappell, 1884 to 1961

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Chappell post office opens
  3. 1898In the archiveChappell 1898
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1936Born hereRichard N. Cabela is born here
  7. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,297
  8. 1961Born hereL. Steven Grasz is born here
By decade

Chappell, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s1 item
Chappell 18981898Chappell 1898
1900s–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
Today11 recent
Aerial view of Chappell, Nebraska, December 20252025Aerial view of Chappell, Nebraska, December 2025Grain elevator with a patriotic flair in the farm town of Chappell, in the western "panhandle" of Nebraska, near the Co…2020Grain elevator with a patriotic flair in the farm tow…Horses in a snowy field near the farm town of Chappell, in the western "panhandle" of Nebraska, above the Colorado line2020Horses in a snowy field near the farm town of Chappel…Horses in a snowy field near the farm town of Chappell, in the western "panhandle" of Nebraska, above the Colorado line2020Horses in a snowy field near the farm town of Chappel…A long freight train rumbles across the cold, flat terrain near Chappell, in the western "panhandle" of Nebraska, above…2020A long freight train rumbles across the cold, flat te…Sudman Neuman Hs NE2011Sudman Neuman Hs NEChappell NE2011Chappell NEChappell, Nebraska downtown 22010Chappell, Nebraska downtown 2Chappell, Nebraska downtown 12010Chappell, Nebraska downtown 1Chappell, Nebraska Second Street2008Chappell, Nebraska Second StreetNEMap-doton-Chappell2005NEMap-doton-Chappell
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.

Chappell 1898
Retake this viewChappell 1898, 1898

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Chappell

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Deuel County Courthouse
Deuel County CourthouseFred and Minnie Meyer Sudman House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Renaissance1
Deuel County CourthouseClassical Revival
Fred and Minnie Meyer Sudman HouseRenaissance

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Chappell

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
L. Steven GraszUnited States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circ… · b. 1961
R
Richard N. CabelaEntrepreneur · b. 1936
Places that used to be

Old corners

Chappell’s post office has been open since 1884.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Mobile Manor Trailer ParkStahr Trailer Court

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

Questions about Chappell’s history

What year was Chappell founded?

The Chappell post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Chappell?

Two places: the Deuel County Courthouse (listed 1990) and the Fred and Minnie Meyer Sudman House (1990).

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 (8), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.