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History · Hubbell

Hubbell’s post office opened in 1880, and 85% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1985 on and the census since 1890.

1880first post office
0on the National Register
85%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Hubbell began, and where its name came from

When was Hubbell founded?

1880

The Hubbell post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 330 in 18902020 census: 63146 years

How did Hubbell get its name?

Hubbell was named for Hubbell H. Johnson, the original owner of the town site.

Founding year: the first Hubbell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hubbell’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 Hubbell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hubbell’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hubbell’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Hubbell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hubbell.

Read it all →

Hubbell was platted in 1880 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Hubbell H. Johnson, the original owner of the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Hubbell, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Hubbell, Nebraska downtown 32011Hubbell, Nebraska downtown 3Hubbell, Nebraska downtown 22011Hubbell, Nebraska downtown 2Hubbell, Nebraska downtown 12011Hubbell, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Hubbell2005NEMap-doton-Hubbell
On the map

Hubbell on the map in 1985

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hubbell.

Hubbell on the 1985 USGS map1985Fairbury sheet · 1:100,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hubbell.

People over time

Hubbell, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 375

Between 55 and 375 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Hubbell’s post office has been open since 1880.

Gone or out of use
Hubbell Post Officepost officeHubbell Schoolschool

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

Questions about Hubbell’s history

What year was Hubbell founded?

The Hubbell post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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), Wikipedia, 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.