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History · Sholes

Sholes dates to 1886, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1971 on, and the census since 1920.

1886founded
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Sholes began, and where its name came from

When was Sholes founded?

1886

Sholes dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 50 in 19202020 census: 16140 years

How did Sholes get its name?

Sholes was named for Lyman Sholes, a railroad official.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1902. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sholes’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sholes’ homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 90 in 1930; 16 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sholes’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sholes’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Sholes came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sholes.

Read it all →

Sholes was established in 1886 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Lyman Sholes, a railroad official.

A post office was established at Sholes in 1902, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1965.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Sholes, census by census

0100192019401960198020002020Peak: 90

Peaked at 90 in 1930; 16 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Timeline

Sholes, 1880 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880In the archive1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Sholes - ED 90-20
  3. 1886
    FoundingSholes is established
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902Post officeThe Sholes post office opens
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 90
  7. 1965Post officeThe Sholes post office closes
  8. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Sholes, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Sholes - ED 90-2018801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE)…
1890s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today9 recent
Sholes, Nebraska water tower2010Sholes, Nebraska water towerSholes, Nebraska school2010Sholes, Nebraska schoolSholes, Nebraska grain bins 42010Sholes, Nebraska grain bins 4Sholes, Nebraska grain bins 32010Sholes, Nebraska grain bins 3Sholes, Nebraska grain bins 22010Sholes, Nebraska grain bins 2Sholes, Nebraska grain bins 12010Sholes, Nebraska grain bins 1Sholes, Nebraska downtown2010Sholes, Nebraska downtownSholes, Nebraska bank building2010Sholes, Nebraska bank buildingNEMap-doton-Sholes2005NEMap-doton-Sholes
On the map

Sholes on the map, 1971 to 1985

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

Sholes on the 1971 USGS mapSholes on the 1985 USGS map1971Randolph South 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 Sholes.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Sholes - ED 90-20
Retake this view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Nebraska (NE) - Wayne County - Sholes - ED 90-20, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sholes’ page.

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Sholes had its own post office from 1902 to 1965.

Sholes
1902–1965
19001960today
Gone or out of use
SholeslocaleSholes Post Officepost office

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

Questions about Sholes’ history

What year was Sholes founded?

In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Sholes’ post office opened in 1902, and the census of 1920 counted 50 people here.

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 (10), Wikipedia, 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.