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History · Ithaca

Ithaca dates to 1866, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Ithaca Grain Elevator, Old. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1910.

1866founded
1on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Ithaca began, and where its name came from

When was Ithaca founded?

1866

Ithaca dates its founding to 1866 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 171 in 19102020 census: 160160 years

How did Ithaca get its name?

Ithaca was named after Ithaca, New York, the native home of a pioneer settler.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1870. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ithaca’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 Ithaca are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18993 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1983. Watch Ithaca change.Old housesHalf of Ithaca’s homes were built before 1944.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ithaca’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ithaca’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
On the map

Ithaca on the map, 1899 to 1983

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

Ithaca on the 1899 USGS mapIthaca on the 1969 USGS mapIthaca on the 1983 USGS map1899Wahoo sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Ithaca came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ithaca.

Read it all →

Ithaca was founded in 1866. It was named after Ithaca, New York, the native home of a pioneer settler.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ithaca, 1866 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1866
    FoundingIthaca is established
  3. 1870Post officeThe Ithaca post office opens
  4. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 21st century
  6. 2000Born hereJim Rexilius is born here
By decade

Ithaca, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Ithaca, Nebraska aerial 20262026Ithaca, Nebraska aerial 2026Ithaca, Nebraska aerial 2026 (cropped)2026Ithaca, Nebraska aerial 2026 (cropped)NEMap-doton-Ithaca2005NEMap-doton-Ithaca
On the National Register

1 historic place in Ithaca

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
2001
Ithaca Grain Elevator, Old
Ithaca Grain Elevator, Old
Buildings
Ithaca Grain Elevator, OldBuilding

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

People over time

Ithaca, census by census

0100192019401960198020002020Peak: 171

Between 121 and 171 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Ithaca’s post office has been open since 1870.

Gone or out of use
Ithacalocale
1cemetery inside Ithaca
Indian Mound

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

Questions about Ithaca’s history

What year was Ithaca founded?

In 1866, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ithaca’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1910 counted 171 people here.

What is on the National Register in Ithaca?

One place: the Ithaca Grain Elevator, Old (listed 2001).

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 (3), 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.