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History · St. Edward

St. Edward dates to 1871, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1880.

1871founded
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How St. Edward began

When was St. Edward founded?

1871

St. Edward dates its founding to 1871 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 158 in 18802020 census: 725155 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1872.The full story ↓

What stands out about St. Edward’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 St. Edward are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,030 in 1930; 725 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s St. Edward, and 1 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of St. Edward’s homes were built before 1948.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start St. Edward’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how St. Edward’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

St. Edward, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,030

Peaked at 1,030 in 1930; 725 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Beaver
1872–1874
Waterville
1874–1877
Saint Edward
1877–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Edward

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

The story

How St. Edward came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of St. Edward.

Read it all →

St. Edward was founded in 1871. An early variant name was "Waterville". A post office called Waterville was established in 1874, and the name was changed to Saint Edward in 1877. The present name honors Edward Sorin, C.S.C., a Roman Catholic priest.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

St. Edward, 1871 to 1958

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871
    FoundingSt. Edward is established
  3. 1872Post officeThe Beaver post office opens
  4. 1874Post officeThe Beaver post office closes
  5. 1874Post officeThe Waterville post office opens
  6. 1877Post officeThe Waterville post office closes
  7. 1877Post officeThe Saint Edward post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1901Born hereTed Mapes is born here
  10. 1925Born hereCletus Fischer is born here
  11. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 1,030
  12. 1940Born herePat Fischer is born here
  13. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

St. Edward, decade by decade

Today9 recent
St. Edward, Nebraska post office 12012St. Edward, Nebraska post office 1St. Edward, Nebraska downtown 42012St. Edward, Nebraska downtown 4St. Edward, Nebraska downtown 32012St. Edward, Nebraska downtown 3St. Edward, Nebraska downtown 22012St. Edward, Nebraska downtown 2St. Edward, Nebraska downtown 12012St. Edward, Nebraska downtown 1St. Edward, Nebraska St. Edward Catholic church2012St. Edward, Nebraska St. Edward Catholic churchSt. Edward, Nebraska Railside Mini-park 12012St. Edward, Nebraska Railside Mini-park 1St. Edward, Nebraska Cornerstone Bank2012St. Edward, Nebraska Cornerstone BankNEMap-doton-St Edward2005NEMap-doton-St Edward
On the map

St. Edward on the map, 1958 to 1985

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

St. Edward on the 1958 USGS mapSt. Edward on the 1985 USGS map1958St Edwards 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 St. Edward.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in St. Edward

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

See all →
Ted MapesAmerican actor · b. 1901
P
Pat FischerAmerican football player · b. 1940
C
Cletus FischerAmerican-football player · b. 1925

Questions about St. Edward’s history

What year was St. Edward founded?

In 1871, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. St. Edward’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1880 counted 158 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 (9), 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.