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History · Peru

Peru dates to 1857, and 69% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Thomas J. Majors Farmstead. Its Register listing is the Thomas J. Majors Farmstead. Below: maps from 1915 on and the census since 1880.

1857founded
1on the National Register
69%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Peru began

When was Peru founded?

1857

Peru dates its founding to 1857 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 567 in 18802020 census: 648169 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓

What stands out about Peru’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 Peru are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Peru’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,380 in 1970; 648 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19154 editions of the USGS map, 1915 to 1966. Watch Peru change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Peru’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Peru’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
The story

How Peru came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Peru.

Read it all →

The first attempt to settle the community took place in 1853, by some residents of Peru, Illinois. However, troops from Fort Kearny forced them to leave because Nebraska Territory belonged to the Otoe tribe. The settlers then temporarily settled across the Missouri River at Sonora. In 1857, a community formed around a trading post called Mount Vernon on the bluffs above the river on the Nebraska side.

In 1857, settlers founded Peru down the hill from Mount Vernon directly on the Missouri River. In 1861, a Methodist school called Mount Vernon Academy opened. In 1867, the school (which became Peru State College) became the state's first normal school.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Peru, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,40018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,380

Peaked at 1,380 in 1970; 648 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Timeline

Peru, 1857 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1857
    FoundingPeru is established
  3. 1867Post officeThe Peru post office opens
  4. 1874Born hereSylva Ashworth is born here
  5. 1889Born hereEdison Pettit is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1909Born herePeary Rader is born here
  8. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,380
By decade

Peru, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Artist Benjamin Victor's nostalgic statue of a football player, coincidentally and perhaps ironically called "The Victo…2021Artist Benjamin Victor's nostalgic statue of a footba…A tree line in December near Peru, Nebraska2021A tree line in December near Peru, NebraskaCampus buildings at Peru State College near Peru, Nebraska2021Campus buildings at Peru State College near Peru, Neb…Peru, Nebraska downtown 32011Peru, Nebraska downtown 3Peru, Nebraska downtown 22011Peru, Nebraska downtown 2Peru, Nebraska downtown 12011Peru, Nebraska downtown 1Peruhouse2007PeruhouseNEMap-doton-Peru2005NEMap-doton-Peru
On the map

Peru on the map, 1915 to 1966

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

Peru on the 1915 USGS mapPeru on the 1939 USGS mapPeru on the 1949 USGS mapPeru on the 1966 USGS map1915Nemaha 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 Peru.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Peru

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Thomas J. Majors Farmstead
Thomas J. Majors Farmstead
Buildings
Thomas J. Majors FarmsteadBuilding

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Peru

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
E
Edison PettitAmerican astronomer · b. 1889
P
Peary RaderAmerican bodybuilder · b. 1909
S
Sylva AshworthAmerican chiropractor · b. 1874
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Peru’s post office has been open since 1867.

Gone or out of use
Perulocale

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

Questions about Peru’s history

What year was Peru founded?

In 1857, according to Wikidata. Peru’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1880 counted 567 people here.

What is on the National Register in Peru?

One place: the Thomas J. Majors Farmstead (listed 1978).

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 (5), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.