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History · Funk

Funk dates to 1887, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1920.

1887founded
0on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Funk began, and where its name came from

When was Funk founded?

1887

Funk dates its founding to 1887 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 147 in 19202020 census: 175139 years

How did Funk get its name?

Funk was named for Phillip C. Funk, an early settler.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1888. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Funk’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 Funk are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Funk’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Funk.

Read it all →

Funk was platted in 1887 on the railroad. It was named for Phillip C. Funk, an early settler. Funk was incorporated as a village in 1913.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Funk, 1887 to 1909

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887
    FoundingFunk is established
  3. 1888Post officeThe Funk post office opens
  4. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1909Born hereJohn Robert Brown is born here
By decade

Funk, decade by decade

Today5 recent
An old tractor sits below the town water tower2021An old tractor sits below the town water towerFunk, Nebraska downtown 22012Funk, Nebraska downtown 2Funk, Nebraska downtown 12012Funk, Nebraska downtown 1Sunset at Funk WPA, NE2011Sunset at Funk WPA, NENEMap-doton-Funk2005NEMap-doton-Funk
On the map

Funk on the map, 1896 to 1986

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

Funk on the 1896 USGS mapFunk on the 1986 USGS map1896Holdrege 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 Funk.

People over time

Funk, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 204

Between 117 and 204 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Questions about Funk’s history

What year was Funk founded?

In 1887, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Funk’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1920 counted 147 people here.

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 (4), the Library of Congress (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.