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–Not graded
History · Grant Township

Grant Township dates to 1886, and 71% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1890.

1886founded
0on the National Register
71%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Grant Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Grant Township began

When was Grant Township founded?

1886

Grant Township dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 315 in 18902020 census: 102140 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓

What stands out about Grant 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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1890 and 1900, then grew 7-fold.On the map since 18973 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1985. Watch Grant Township change.Old housesHalf of Grant Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grant Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grant Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewNebraska - Benedict through: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Grant Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001900192019401960198020002020315 in 1890Low: 162

Lost half of its people between 1890 and 1900, then grew 7-fold.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

On the map

Grant Township on the map, 1897 to 1985

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

Grant Township on the 1897 USGS mapGrant Township on the 1974 USGS mapGrant Township on the 1985 USGS map1897Red Cloud 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 Grant Township.

The story

How Grant Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grant Township.

Read it all →

Grant was platted in 1886 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. The city is named for Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Grant Township, 1886 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886
    FoundingGrant Township is established
  3. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1917In the archiveNebraska - Benedict through
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,270
By decade

Grant Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s2 items
Nebraska - Benedict through1917Nebraska - Benedict throughNebraska - Benedict through1917Nebraska - Benedict through
1920s–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
Today1 recent
NEMap-doton-Grant2005NEMap-doton-Grant
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.

Nebraska - Benedict through
Retake this viewNebraska - Benedict through, 1917

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Grant 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.

Marion TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWashington Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorth Franklin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Grant Township’s history

What year was Grant Township founded?

In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Grant Township’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1890 counted 315 people here.

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 (2), 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.