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History · Octavia

Octavia’s post office opened in 1888, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1930.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Octavia began, and where its name came from

When was Octavia founded?

1888

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

First census: 142 in 19302020 census: 107138 years

How did Octavia get its name?

Octavia was named for Octavia Speltz, a pioneer settler.

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

What stands out about Octavia’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 Octavia 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 1985. Watch Octavia change.Old housesHalf of Octavia’s homes were built before 1945.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Octavia’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Octavia’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

Octavia on the map, 1899 to 1985

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

Octavia on the 1899 USGS mapOctavia on the 1968 USGS mapOctavia on the 1985 USGS map1899David City 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 Octavia.

The story

How Octavia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Octavia.

Read it all →

Octavia was established in 1887 when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Octavia Speltz, a pioneer settler.

A post office was established in Octavia in 1888, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1996.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Octavia, 1888 to 1899

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Octavia post office opens
  3. 1898Born hereJoseph Benesch is born here
  4. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Octavia, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Octavia, Nebraska village hall2011Octavia, Nebraska village hallOctavia, Nebraska downtown2011Octavia, Nebraska downtownNEMap-doton-Octavia2005NEMap-doton-Octavia
People over time

Octavia, census by census

010019401960198020002020Peak: 151

Between 94 and 151 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Octavia’s post office has been open since 1888.

Gone or out of use
Octavialocale

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

Questions about Octavia’s history

What year was Octavia founded?

The Octavia 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 →
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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 (3), 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.