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History · Nenzel

Nenzel’s post office opened in 1888, and 67% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1930.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
67%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Nenzel began, and where its name came from

When was Nenzel founded?

1888

The Nenzel post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 76 in 19302020 census: 17138 years

How did Nenzel get its name?

Nenzel was named for George Nenzel, the original owner of the town site.

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

What stands out about Nenzel’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 Nenzel are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1940 and 1990, then more than doubled.Old housesHalf of Nenzel’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nenzel’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nenzel’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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People over time

Nenzel, census by census

010019401960198020002020125 in 1940Low: 8

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1940 and 1990, then more than doubled.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

The story

How Nenzel came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Nenzel.

Read it all →

Nenzel was incorporated as a village in 1899. It was named for George Nenzel, the original owner of the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Nenzel, 1888 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Nenzel post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 125
  5. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Nenzel, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Nenzel, NE2017Nenzel, NENenzel, Nebraska2012Nenzel, NebraskaNenzel, Nebraska2012Nenzel, NebraskaNenzel, Nebraska2012Nenzel, Nebraska
On the map

Nenzel on the map, 1950 to 1985

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

Nenzel on the 1950 USGS mapNenzel on the 1985 USGS map1950Cody 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 Nenzel.

Famous people

Famous people close to Nenzel

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

See all →
Val Logsdon FitchAmerican physicist · b. 1923
T
Tedd GassmanAmerican politician · b. 1943
N
Nellie Star Boy MenardSicangu Lakota [Rosebud Sioux] quiltmaker · b. 1910

Questions about Nenzel’s history

What year was Nenzel founded?

The Nenzel post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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), 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.