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History · Mullen

Mullen dates to 1888, and 51% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1 buildings. Below: maps from 1948 on and the census since 1920.

1888founded
1on the National Register
51%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Mullen began, and where its name came from

When was Mullen founded?

1888

Mullen dates its founding to 1888 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 499 in 19202020 census: 500138 years

How did Mullen get its name?

Mullen was named for Charles Mullen, a railroad official.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1889. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Mullen’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 Mullen are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Mullen’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 811 in 1960; 500 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mullen’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Mullen.

Read it all →

Mullen was laid out in 1888 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Charles Mullen, a railroad official. The only settlement in Hooker County, Mullen was designated the county seat and the first courthouse was completed in 1889. Mullen was incorporated as a village in 1907.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Mullen, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 811

Peaked at 811 in 1960; 500 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Timeline

Mullen, 1888 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888
    FoundingMullen is established
  3. 1889Post officeThe Mullen post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 811
By decade

Mullen, decade by decade

Today12 recent
The cows are literally heading home as dusk approaches near Mullen in Hooker County, within the vast Nebraska sandhills2021The cows are literally heading home as dusk approache…Units of the appropriately named Sand Hill Motel2021Units of the appropriately named Sand Hill MotelUnits of the appropriately named Sand Hill Motel2021Units of the appropriately named Sand Hill MotelRail ties stacked near some desolate tracks near Mullen in Hooker County, within the vast Nebraska sandhills2021Rail ties stacked near some desolate tracks near Mull…Old grain elevator and train tracks2021Old grain elevator and train tracksDusk settles across a road through the vast Nebraska sandhills, near Mullen in Hooker County2021Dusk settles across a road through the vast Nebraska …Dusk view of a rural grain elevator near Mullen in the Nebraska sandhills2021Dusk view of a rural grain elevator near Mullen in th…Dusk view of trackside train signals near Mullen in the Nebraska sandhills2021Dusk view of trackside train signals near Mullen in t…Mullen, Nebraska Washington Ave2010Mullen, Nebraska Washington AveMullen, Nebraska First St 22010Mullen, Nebraska First St 2Mullen, Nebraska First St 12010Mullen, Nebraska First St 1NEMap-doton-Mullen2005NEMap-doton-Mullen
On the map

Mullen on the map, 1948 to 1988

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

Mullen on the 1948 USGS mapMullen on the 1951 USGS mapMullen on the 1988 USGS map1948Mullen sheet · 1:62,500

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in Mullen

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
1990
Hooker County Courthouse
Hooker County Courthouse
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements1
Hooker County CourthouseLate 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements

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

Places that used to be

Old corners

Mullen’s post office has been open since 1889.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Wright City Trailer Court

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

Questions about Mullen’s history

What year was Mullen founded?

In 1888, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Mullen’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1920 counted 499 people here.

What is on the National Register in Mullen?

One place: the Hooker County Courthouse (listed 1990).

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 (4), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.