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History · Dunning

Dunning’s post office opened in 1887, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1920.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Dunning began

When was Dunning founded?

1887

The Dunning post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 289 in 19202020 census: 80139 years
Founding year: the first Dunning post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Dunning’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 Dunning are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Dunning’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dunning’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dunning’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 Dunning came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dunning.

Read it all →

Dunning was a station on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Dunning, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Dunning, Nebraska Jewett Ave 22012Dunning, Nebraska Jewett Ave 2Dunning, Nebraska Jewett Ave 12012Dunning, Nebraska Jewett Ave 1NEMap-doton-Dunning2005NEMap-doton-Dunning
On the map

Dunning on the map, 1951 to 1986

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

Dunning on the 1951 USGS mapDunning on the 1986 USGS map1951Dunning 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 Dunning.

People over time

Dunning, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 289

Between 80 and 289 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Dunning

Nobody well known was born in Dunning itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
J
Jay Wright ForresterAmerican operations researcher · b. 1918
Clarence Arlen BeamUnited States federal judge · b. 1930
M
Milly BernardAmerican politician · b. 1920
L
Leo J. PowersUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1909

Questions about Dunning’s history

What year was Dunning founded?

The Dunning post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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, 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.