The story
Read it all →How Homer came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Homer.
Homer was platted in 1874. It was named for the Greek poet Homer.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Homer
Homer dates to 1872, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1890.
1872founded
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Quick answers
How Homer began, and where its name came from
When was Homer founded?
1872
Homer dates its founding to 1872 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.
First census: 251 in 18902020 census: 532154 years
How did Homer get its name?
Homer was named for the Greek poet Homer.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Homer’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Homer’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Homer’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.From the old history books
What they wrote about Homer in 1893
Passages that mention Homer, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Warner's history of Dakota County, Nebraska, from the days of the pioneers and first settlers to the present time, with biographical sketches, and anecdotes of ye olden times1893 · page 266Read the page →
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October 1, of the following yeai-, crossed over thy bridge on Omaha creek where Homer was soon after located, with a load of lumber and his tools. F>y night of the same day he had e.ompleted the first house ever erected in the town of Homer, which Mas occupied l)efore dark by John and Joseph Smith with a stock of general merchandise. The following spring he built several other houses in the new town, wliieh had in the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Warner's history of Dakota County, Nebraska, from the days of the pioneers and first settlers to the present time, with biographical sketches, and anecdotes of ye olden times1893 · page 55Read the page →
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IIandolvu. -Was a post office until 1877, and situated about four iniles south-west of Homer, on Wigle creek: so named in honor of its first mail carriei', Jasper ivandolph. The post office was kept at the house of Wm L. Coveil, who was its only postmaster.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Homer, 1857 to 1964
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1857Post officeThe Omadi post office opens
- 1872FoundingHomer is established
- 1874
Born hereAlvin Saunders Johnson is born here - 1874Post officeThe Omadi post office closes
- 1874Post officeThe Homer post office opens
- 1882
Born hereIrv Higginbotham is born here - 20th century
- 1964
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Homer, decade by decade
2010
2010
2010
2010
2005On the map
Homer on the map, 1964 to 1976
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Homer. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1964Homer sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Homer.
People over time
Homer, census by census
Between 251 and 590 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Homer’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →2 famous people were born in Homer
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
Homer’s post office has been open since 1874. Another post office, Omadi, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Omadi
Homer
18501940today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Homer’s history
What year was Homer founded?
In 1872, according to Wikidata. Homer’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1890 counted 251 people here.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (5), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.