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The ElmsThe Elms · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0
–Not graded
History · Elmwood

Elmwood’s post office opened in 1868, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Elms. Below: maps from 1903 on and the census since 1880.

1868first post office
1on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Elmwood began, and where its name came from

When was Elmwood founded?

1868

The Elmwood post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 38 in 18802020 census: 654158 years

How did Elmwood get its name?

Elmwood was named for the old elm trees at the town site.

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

What stands out about Elmwood’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 Elmwood are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19034 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1986. Watch Elmwood change.Old housesHalf of Elmwood’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Elmwood’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elmwood’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

Elmwood on the map, 1903 to 1986

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

Elmwood on the 1903 USGS mapElmwood on the 1929 USGS mapElmwood on the 1966 USGS mapElmwood on the 1986 USGS map1903Weeping Water 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 Elmwood.

The story

How Elmwood came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Elmwood.

Read it all →

Elmwood was founded in 1886. It was named for the old elm trees at the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Elmwood, 1868 to 1918

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868Post officeThe Elmwood post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1903On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1918Born hereBetty Clements is born here
By decade

Elmwood, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Elmwood, Nebraska downtown 22012Elmwood, Nebraska downtown 2Elmwood, Nebraska downtown 12012Elmwood, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Elmwood2005NEMap-doton-Elmwood
On the National Register

1 historic place in Elmwood

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1977
The Elms
The Elms
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Prairie1
The ElmsPrairie

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

People over time

Elmwood, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 668

Between 38 and 668 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Elmwood’s post office has been open since 1868.

Gone or out of use
Elmwoodlocale

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

Questions about Elmwood’s history

What year was Elmwood founded?

The Elmwood post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Elmwood?

One place: the Elms (listed 1977).

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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.