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Petersburg, Nebraska Logan Fontenelle 2Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Petersburg

Petersburg’s post office opened in 1887, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Petersburg Jail. Below: maps from 1963 on and the census since 1900.

1887first post office
1on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Petersburg began

When was Petersburg founded?

1887

The Petersburg post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 478 in 19002020 census: 332139 years
Founding year: the first Petersburg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Petersburg’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 Petersburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 657 in 1940; 332 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Petersburg’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Petersburg’s collection

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

Petersburg, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 657

Peaked at 657 in 1940; 332 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Petersburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Petersburg.

Read it all →

Petersburg was platted in 1887 when a branch line of the Chicago and North Western Railway was extended to that point. The community was named for John Peters, the original owner of the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Petersburg, 1869 to 1963

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1869Born hereHarry Roberts Carson is born here
  3. 1887Post officeThe Petersburg post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902BuiltPetersburg Jail is built
  6. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 657
  7. 1943Born hereRodney R. Michel is born here
  8. 1963On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Petersburg, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Petersburg, Nebraska Logan Fontenelle 22009Petersburg, Nebraska Logan Fontenelle 2Petersburg, Nebraska Logan Fontenelle 12009Petersburg, Nebraska Logan Fontenelle 1NEMap-doton-Petersburg2005NEMap-doton-Petersburg
On the map

Petersburg on the map, 1963 to 1985

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

Petersburg on the 1963 USGS mapPetersburg on the 1985 USGS map1963Petersburg sheet · 1:24,000

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in Petersburg

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
2005
Petersburg Jail
Petersburg Jail, built 1902
Buildings
Petersburg JailBuilt 1902

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Petersburg

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

See all →
H
Harry Roberts CarsonAmerican bishop · b. 1869
R
Rodney R. MichelAmerican Anglican bishop · b. 1943
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Petersburg’s post office has been open since 1887.

Gone or out of use
Petersburglocale

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

Questions about Petersburg’s history

What year was Petersburg founded?

The Petersburg post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Petersburg?

One place: the Petersburg Jail (listed 2005).

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 (3), Wikidata (1), 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.