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History · Magnet

Magnet dates to 1893, and 71% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1910.

1893founded
0on the National Register
71%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Magnet began

When was Magnet founded?

1893

Magnet dates its founding to 1893 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 178 in 19102020 census: 43133 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1894.The full story ↓

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

Start Magnet’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Magnet’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 Magnet came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Magnet.

Read it all →

Magnet was platted in 1893 when the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway was extended to that point. Magnet was so named by its founder B. E. Smith, who hoped to attract settlers to the region "as the magnet attracts iron".

ChaptersTown motto and disastersRailroadJail House

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Magnet, 1893 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1893
    FoundingMagnet is established
  3. 1894Post officeThe Magnet post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Magnet, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Magnet, Nebraska post office2010Magnet, Nebraska post officeMagnet, Nebraska old gas station2010Magnet, Nebraska old gas stationMagnet, Nebraska grain elevators2010Magnet, Nebraska grain elevatorsMagnet, Nebraska from S2010Magnet, Nebraska from SMagnet, Nebraska fire department2010Magnet, Nebraska fire departmentMagnet, Nebraska Main from Park 12010Magnet, Nebraska Main from Park 1Magnet, Nebraska Main Street 22010Magnet, Nebraska Main Street 2Magnet, Nebraska Main Street 12010Magnet, Nebraska Main Street 1NEMap-doton-Magnet2005NEMap-doton-Magnet
On the map

Magnet on the map, 1971 to 1985

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

Magnet on the 1971 USGS mapMagnet on the 1985 USGS map1971Magnet 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 Magnet.

People over time

Magnet, census by census

0100192019401960198020002020Peak: 178

Between 43 and 178 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Magnet

Nobody well known was born in Magnet itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
James CoburnAmerican actor · b. 1928
Ben SasseAmerican politician and college president · b. 1972
Charles ThoneAmerican politician · b. 1924
Mark CalcavecchiaAmerican golfer, PGA Tour member, British Open … · b. 1960
William Joseph DendingerCatholic bishop · b. 1939
F
Frederick W. MoteAmerican historian of China · b. 1922

Questions about Magnet’s history

What year was Magnet founded?

In 1893, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Magnet’s post office opened in 1894, and the census of 1910 counted 178 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 (9), 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.