The Raymond post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Orlando (1878), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 200 in 19002020 census: 159146 years
Founding year: the first Raymond post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Raymond’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Beginning in 1864, settlers arrived in the area and a subscription school was run in the home of Charles and Olive White. In 1870, Oak Creek was dammed and a grist mill was erected. A population grew in the area, generally centered around Raymond's present location, but there was no official settlement or name of the area. In 1878, a post office was established nearby and named "Orlando." Raymond was platted in 1880 when the railroad was extended to that point and was named for I. M. Raymond, a railroad official.
Passages that mention Raymond, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Seward county, Nebraska, together with a chapter of reminiscenses of the early settlement of Lancaster county1888 · page 264Read the page →
Read the text
Inft. , where he served as sergeant till November, 1863, when he was promoted to the lieutenancy, and in January, 1865, he was commissioned captain. Was in the battles of Hatchie Run, Black River Bridge, Champion Hill, Raymond, at the siege of Vicksburg in both charges. Was wounded at Cross Bayou, La., Aug. 5 1864, Was mustered out of service in April, 1866. Made his home in Arkansas until his removal to Nebraska in 1871. Was quite prominent in the political struggles in Arkansas, and came within one vote of being elected to congress at one time. Mr. Neihardt was twice elected sherifi" of Seward county, and has
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska1889 · page 362Read the page →
Read the text
Mr. Raymond is a business man of a high order of ability. He has managed the large wholesale grocery business of Raymond Bros. & Co. with eminent success, and that house is one of the most prosperous in the State. In 1882 Mr. Raymond assisted to organize the Exchange National Bank of Hastings, of which he was made president and still continues to hold that position. During the spring of 1889 he became one of the incorporators of the American Exchange National Bank, of Lincoln, of which he was also made President, and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska1889 · page 373Read the page →
Read the text
Raymond Bros. & Co., wholesale grocers, established in Lincoln in 1872, and have been among our leading business men ever since. The firm consists of I. M. and A. S. Raymond, and G. H. Clark, They have done more to push Lincoln trade into new territory, and protect Lincoln's interests against railroad discriminations, than any other firm. They are now leading capitalists of the city, and i)rominent in pushing its interests. Their large house at () and Kighlh, does an immense jobbing trade.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Raymond, 1878 to 1920
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2012
2012
2012
2012
2005