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History · Maxwell

Maxwell’s post office opened in 1882, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1910.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Maxwell began

When was Maxwell founded?

1882

The Maxwell post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1894. Another post office, McPherson (1867), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 289 in 19102020 census: 257144 years
Founding year: the first Maxwell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1894.The full story ↓

What stands out about Maxwell’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 Maxwell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18994 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Maxwell change.Boom and bustPeaked at 480 in 1940; 257 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Maxwell’s homes were built before 1945.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Maxwell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Maxwell’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

Maxwell on the map, 1899 to 1985

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

Maxwell on the 1899 USGS mapMaxwell on the 1902 USGS mapMaxwell on the 1970 USGS mapMaxwell on the 1985 USGS map1899North Platte 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 Maxwell.

People over time

Maxwell, census by census

0100200300400500192019401960198020002020Peak: 480

Peaked at 480 in 1940; 257 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Maxwell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Maxwell.

Read it all →

Maxwell was platted in 1894 after the Union Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. The town was named for a railroad official. Maxwell was incorporated as a village in 1908.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Maxwell, 1867 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1867Post officeThe McPherson post office opens
  3. 1882Post officeThe McPherson post office closes
  4. 1882Post officeThe Maxwell post office opens
  5. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 480
By decade

Maxwell, decade by decade

Today24 recent
Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 52011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 42011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 32011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 22011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 162011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 152011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 142011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 132011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 122011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 112011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 102011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plains, south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 12011Peoria Loess (Upper Pleistocene, 20-22 ka; Loess Plai…Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 92011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 9Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 82011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 8Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 72011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 7Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 62011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 6Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 52011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 5Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 42011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 4Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 32011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 3Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 22011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 2Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 112011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 11Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 102011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 10Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 12011Loess Plains (south of Maxwell, Nebraska, USA) 1NEMap-doton-Maxwell2005NEMap-doton-Maxwell
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Maxwell’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, McPherson, opened and closed inside today’s town.

McPherson
1867–1882
Maxwell
1882–today
18601940today

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

Questions about Maxwell’s history

What year was Maxwell founded?

The Maxwell post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1894.

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 (24), 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.