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History · Humphrey

Humphrey’s post office opened in 1871, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Humphrey City Hall. Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1890.

1871first post office
1on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Humphrey began, and where its name came from

When was Humphrey founded?

1871

The Humphrey post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 691 in 18902020 census: 857155 years

How did Humphrey get its name?

Humphrey was named after Humphrey, New York, the former hometown of the first postmaster.

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

What stands out about Humphrey’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 Humphrey are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Humphrey’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Humphrey’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Humphrey’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
The story

How Humphrey came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Humphrey.

Read it all →

Humphrey was platted in 1880 when the Omaha, Niobrara and Black Hills Railroad was extended to that point. It was named after Humphrey, New York, the former hometown of the first postmaster.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Humphrey, 1871 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Humphrey post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1902BuiltHumphrey City Hall is built
  5. 1950Born hereMax Carl is born here
  6. 1951Born hereJohn S. Werner is born here
  7. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Humphrey, decade by decade

Today5 recent
St. Francis High School (Humphrey, Nebraska) from SW 12012St. Francis High School (Humphrey, Nebraska) from SW 1Humphrey, Nebraska from SW2010Humphrey, Nebraska from SWHumphrey, Nebraska Main Street 22010Humphrey, Nebraska Main Street 2Humphrey, Nebraska Main Street 12010Humphrey, Nebraska Main Street 1NEMap-doton-Humphrey2005NEMap-doton-Humphrey
On the map

Humphrey on the map, 1966 to 1985

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

Humphrey on the 1966 USGS mapHumphrey on the 1985 USGS map1966Humphrey 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 Humphrey.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Humphrey

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1996
Humphrey City Hall
Humphrey City Hall, built 1902
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian1
Renaissance Revival1
Humphrey City HallLate Victorian · Built 1902

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Humphrey, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 869

Between 691 and 869 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Humphrey

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

See all →
M
Max CarlAmerican musician · b. 1950
John S. WernerAmerican scientist who studies human vision and… · b. 1951
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Granville Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHumphrey TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Humphrey’s history

What year was Humphrey founded?

The Humphrey post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Humphrey?

One place: the Humphrey City Hall (listed 1996).

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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.