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–Not graded
History · Edgar Township

Edgar Township’s post office opened in 1872, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1880.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Edgar Township began, and where its name came from

When was Edgar Township founded?

1872

The Edgar Township post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 577 in 18802020 census: 488154 years

How did Edgar Township get its name?

Edgar Township was named for the son of a pioneer settler.

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

What stands out about Edgar Township’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 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1985. Watch Edgar Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,105 in 1890; 428 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Edgar Township’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Edgar Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Edgar Township’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 viewIdentified! Julius S Whitten, b. Edgar,…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Edgar Township on the map, 1898 to 1985

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

Edgar Township on the 1898 USGS mapEdgar Township on the 1969 USGS mapEdgar Township on the 1985 USGS map1898Hebron 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 Edgar Township.

People over time

Edgar Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,105

Peaked at 1,105 in 1890; 428 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Edgar Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Edgar Township.

Read it all →

The first post office at Edgar was established in 1872. Edgar was platted as a town in 1873, when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for the son of a pioneer settler.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Edgar Township, 1888 to 1898

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888In the archiveIdentified! Julius S Whitten, b. Edgar, Nebraska 1888
  3. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 1,105
  4. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Edgar Township, decade by decade

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

1880s1 item
Identified! Julius S Whitten, b. Edgar, Nebraska 18881888Identified! Julius S Whitten, b. Edgar, Nebraska 1888
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
Today11 recent
Edgar, Nebraska C Street 102010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 10Edgar, Nebraska C Street 09 Saathoff Hardware 22010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 09 Saathoff Hardware 2Edgar, Nebraska C Street 08 Saathoff Hardware 12010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 08 Saathoff Hardware 1Edgar, Nebraska C Street 07 post office2010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 07 post officeEdgar, Nebraska C Street 06 End Zone Bar2010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 06 End Zone BarEdgar, Nebraska C Street 05 Hansen law office2010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 05 Hansen law officeEdgar, Nebraska C Street 042010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 04Edgar, Nebraska C Street 032010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 03Edgar, Nebraska C Street 02 Hair Dimensions2010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 02 Hair DimensionsEdgar, Nebraska C Street 01 Hair Dimensions2010Edgar, Nebraska C Street 01 Hair DimensionsNEMap-doton-Edgar2005NEMap-doton-Edgar
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.

Identified! Julius S Whitten, b. Edgar, Nebraska 1888
Retake this viewIdentified! Julius S Whitten, b. Edgar, Nebraska 1888, 1888

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

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Fairfield Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMarshall TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLogan TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Edgar Township’s history

What year was Edgar Township founded?

The Edgar Township post office opened in 1872, 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 (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.