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History · Ong

Ong’s post office opened in 1886, and 61% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1910.

1886first post office
0on the National Register
61%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Ong began, and where its name came from

When was Ong founded?

1886

The Ong post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Greenbury (1886) and Joong (1886), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 285 in 19102020 census: 49140 years

How did Ong get its name?

Ong was named for Judge Joseph Eli Ong (1845-1912), the original owner of the town site.

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

What stands out about Ong’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 Ong are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1985. Watch Ong change.Old housesHalf of Ong’s homes were built before 1938.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Ong.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ong’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ong’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

Ong on the map, 1898 to 1985

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

Ong on the 1898 USGS mapOng on the 1969 USGS mapOng on the 1985 USGS map1898Hebron 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 Ong.

The story

How Ong came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ong.

Read it all →

Ong was platted in 1886 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Judge Joseph Eli Ong (1845-1912), the original owner of the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ong, 1886 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886Post officeThe Greenbury post office opens
  3. 1886Post officeThe Greenbury post office closes
  4. 1886Post officeThe Joong post office opens
  5. 1886Post officeThe Joong post office closes
  6. 1886Post officeThe Ong post office opens
  7. 1894Born hereHoward Bradley Smith is born here
  8. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 20th century
  10. 1966Post officeThe Ong post office closes
By decade

Ong, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Ong, Nebraska post office2010Ong, Nebraska post officeOng, Nebraska grain elevators2010Ong, Nebraska grain elevatorsOng, Nebraska downtown from S 22010Ong, Nebraska downtown from S 2Ong, Nebraska downtown from S 12010Ong, Nebraska downtown from S 1Ong, Nebraska abandoned bldgs2010Ong, Nebraska abandoned bldgsOng, Nebraska E side main street2010Ong, Nebraska E side main streetNEMap-doton-Ong2005NEMap-doton-Ong
People over time

Ong, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 285

Between 49 and 285 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Ong had its own post office from 1886 to 1966. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Greenbury
1886–1886
Joong
1886–1886
Ong
1886–1966
18801950today

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

Questions about Ong’s history

What year was Ong founded?

The Ong post office opened in 1886, 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 (7), 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.