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History · Hoskins

Hoskins dates to 1881, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1963 on, and the census since 1900.

1881founded
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hoskins began, and where its name came from

When was Hoskins founded?

1881

Hoskins dates its founding to 1881 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 175 in 19002020 census: 263145 years

How did Hoskins get its name?

Hoskins was named for the father-in-law of F. H. Peavey.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1882. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hoskins’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hoskins’ homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hoskins’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Hoskins came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hoskins.

Read it all →

Hoskins was established in 1881 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for the father-in-law of F. H. Peavey.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hoskins, 1880 to 1963

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880In the archive1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Hoskins - ED 90-9
  3. 1881
    FoundingHoskins is established
  4. 1882Post officeThe Hoskins post office opens
  5. 1891Born hereDavid Townsend is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1907Born hereNorris Schroeder is born here
  8. 1963On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hoskins, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Hoskins - ED 90-918801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE)…
1890s–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
Today3 recent
U.S. Post Office - Hoskins - Nebraska - 687402022U.S. Post Office - Hoskins - Nebraska - 68740Hoskins, Nebraska downtown 12010Hoskins, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Hoskins2005NEMap-doton-Hoskins
On the map

Hoskins on the map, 1963 to 1985

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

Hoskins on the 1963 USGS mapHoskins on the 1976 USGS mapHoskins on the 1985 USGS map1963Hoskins 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 Hoskins.

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.

1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Hoskins - ED 90-9
Retake this view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Hoskins - ED 90-9, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Hoskins, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 307

Between 171 and 307 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Hoskins

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
David TownsendArt director, set decorator · b. 1891
N
Norris SchroederAmerican politician · b. 1907
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Hoskins’s post office has been open since 1882.

Gone or out of use
Hoskinslocale

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

Questions about Hoskins’ history

What year was Hoskins founded?

In 1881, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hoskins’ post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1900 counted 175 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 (4), 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.