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History · Hayes Center

Hayes Center dates to 1885, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1974 on and the census since 1930.

1885founded
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hayes Center began, and where its name came from

When was Hayes Center founded?

1885

Hayes Center dates its founding to 1885 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 229 in 19302020 census: 224141 years

How did Hayes Center get its name?

Hayes Center was named from its position near the geographical center of Hayes County.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1884. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hayes Center’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 Hayes Center are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 361 in 1950; 224 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Hayes Center.Old housesHalf of Hayes Center’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hayes Center’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hayes Center’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
People over time

Hayes Center, census by census

010020030040019401960198020002020Peak: 361

Peaked at 361 in 1950; 224 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Hayes Center’s post office has been open since 1893. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

La Forest
1884–1885
Hayes Centre
1885–1893
Hayes Center
1893–today
18801950today

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

The story

How Hayes Center came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hayes Center.

Read it all →

Hayes Center was founded in 1885. It was named from its position near the geographical center of Hayes County.

ChaptersSanctuary city for the unborn

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hayes Center, 1884 to 1974

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe La Forest post office opens
  3. 1885
    FoundingHayes Center is established
  4. 1885Post officeThe La Forest post office closes
  5. 1885Post officeThe Hayes Centre post office opens
  6. 1893Post officeThe Hayes Centre post office closes
  7. 1893Post officeThe Hayes Center post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1910Born hereNed Thompson is born here
  10. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 361
  11. 1974On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hayes Center, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Nebraska National Guard2022Nebraska National GuardNebraska National Guard2022Nebraska National GuardHayes Center, Nebraska village hall2010Hayes Center, Nebraska village hallHayes Center, Nebraska from E2010Hayes Center, Nebraska from EHayes Center, Nebraska Tate Street 22010Hayes Center, Nebraska Tate Street 2Hayes Center, Nebraska Tate Street 12010Hayes Center, Nebraska Tate Street 1NEMap-doton-Hayes Center2005NEMap-doton-Hayes Center
On the map

Hayes Center on the map in 1974

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hayes Center.

Hayes Center on the 1974 USGS map1974Hayes Center 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 Hayes Center.

Questions about Hayes Center’s history

What year was Hayes Center founded?

In 1885, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hayes Center’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1930 counted 229 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 (7), 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.