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History · Filley Township

Filley Township’s post office opened in 1883, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Filley, Elijah, Stone Barn. Below: maps from 1970 on and the census since 1890.

1883first post office
1on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Filley Township began, and where its name came from

When was Filley Township founded?

1883

The Filley Township post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 301 in 18902020 census: 290143 years

How did Filley Township get its name?

Filley Township was named for its founder, Elijah Filley.

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

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

Start Filley Township’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Filley Township.

Read it all →

Filley was platted in 1883 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for its founder, Elijah Filley.

The Elijah Filley Stone Barn in Filley is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is maintained by the local historical society, and open to the public.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Filley Township, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Filley, Nebraska Livingston from Lancaster 22013Filley, Nebraska Livingston from Lancaster 2Filley, Nebraska Livingston from Lancaster 12013Filley, Nebraska Livingston from Lancaster 1NEMap-doton-Filley2005NEMap-doton-Filley
On the map

Filley Township on the map, 1970 to 1980

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

Filley Township on the 1970 USGS mapFilley Township on the 1980 USGS map1970Filley 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 Filley Township.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Filley Township

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
Filley, Elijah, Stone Barn
Filley, Elijah, Stone Barn
Buildings
Filley, Elijah, Stone BarnBuilding

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

People over time

Filley Township, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 301

Between 124 and 301 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Filleylocale
1cemetery inside Filley Township
Filley

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Logan Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSherman Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Filley Township’s history

What year was Filley Township founded?

The Filley Township post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Filley Township?

One place: the Filley, Elijah, Stone Barn (listed 1977).

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