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History · Coleridge

Coleridge dates to 1883, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1890.

1883founded
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Coleridge began, and where its name came from

When was Coleridge founded?

1883

Coleridge dates its founding to 1883 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 315 in 18902020 census: 537143 years

How did Coleridge get its name?

Coleridge was named for Lord John Coleridge, the Lord Chief Justice of England, who was then paying a visit to the United States.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1878. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Coleridge’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 Coleridge are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Coleridge’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Coleridge came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Coleridge.

Read it all →

Coleridge was platted in 1883 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Lord John Coleridge, the Lord Chief Justice of England, who was then paying a visit to the United States.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Coleridge, 1878 to 1968

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1878Post officeThe Lawn Ridge post office opens
  3. 1883
    FoundingColeridge is established
  4. 1883Post officeThe Lawn Ridge post office closes
  5. 1883Post officeThe Colleridge post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1902Born hereVernon Simeon Plemion Grant is born here
  8. 1939Born hereWilliam Joseph Dendinger is born here
  9. 1968On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Coleridge, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Coleridge, Nebraska Broadway from Elm 22010Coleridge, Nebraska Broadway from Elm 2Coleridge, Nebraska Broadway from Elm 12010Coleridge, Nebraska Broadway from Elm 1
On the map

Coleridge on the map, 1968 to 1985

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

Coleridge on the 1968 USGS mapColeridge on the 1985 USGS map1968Coleridge 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 Coleridge.

People over time

Coleridge, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 674

Between 315 and 674 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Coleridge

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

See all →
William Joseph DendingerCatholic bishop · b. 1939
V
Vernon Simeon Plemion GrantAmerican illustrator · b. 1902
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Lawn Ridge, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Lawn Ridge
1878–1883
Colleridge
1883–today
18701950today
Gone or out of use
Coleridgelocale
1cemetery inside Coleridge
Saint Michael

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

Questions about Coleridge’s history

What year was Coleridge founded?

In 1883, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Coleridge’s post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1890 counted 315 people here.

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 (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.