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History · Edison

Edison’s post office opened in 1880, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1910.

1880first post office
0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Edison began

When was Edison founded?

1880

The Edison post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 334 in 19102020 census: 111146 years
Founding year: the first Edison post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Edison’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 Edison are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18963 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1986. Watch Edison change.Old housesHalf of Edison’s homes were built before 1942.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Edison’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Edison’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
On the map

Edison on the map, 1896 to 1986

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

Edison on the 1896 USGS mapEdison on the 1958 USGS mapEdison on the 1986 USGS map1896Arapahoe 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 Edison.

The story

How Edison came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Edison.

Read it all →

The first post office in Edison was established in 1880, and was named for Edward "Eddie" Rohr, the postmaster's son. Edison was incorporated as a village in 1907.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Edison, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Edison, Nebraska grain elevators2010Edison, Nebraska grain elevatorsEdison, Nebraska Main Ave 32010Edison, Nebraska Main Ave 3Edison, Nebraska Main Ave 22010Edison, Nebraska Main Ave 2Edison, Nebraska Main Ave 12010Edison, Nebraska Main Ave 1Edison, Nebraska 1935 flood marker2010Edison, Nebraska 1935 flood markerNEMap-doton-Edison2005NEMap-doton-Edison
People over time

Edison, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 334

Between 111 and 334 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Questions about Edison’s history

What year was Edison founded?

The Edison post office opened in 1880, 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 (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.