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History · Thedford

Thedford’s post office opened in 1887, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1948 on and the census since 1920.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Doc Searls from Santa Barbara, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Thedford began

When was Thedford founded?

1887

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

First census: 200 in 19202020 census: 208139 years
Founding year: the first Thedford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Thedford’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 Thedford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 313 in 1980; 208 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Thedford’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Thedford’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Thedford, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 313

Peaked at 313 in 1980; 208 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How Thedford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Thedford.

Read it all →

Thedford was established in 1887 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point, at which time the new town was designated county seat. It was probably named after Thedford, Ontario, Canada. Thedford was incorporated as a village in 1914.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Thedford, 1887 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Thedford post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 313
By decade

Thedford, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Thomas County, Nebraska courthouse from SE2010Thomas County, Nebraska courthouse from SEThedford, Nebraska downtown 22010Thedford, Nebraska downtown 2Thedford, Nebraska downtown 12010Thedford, Nebraska downtown 1Thedford, Nebraska2009Thedford, NebraskaNEMap-doton-Thedford2005NEMap-doton-Thedford
On the map

Thedford on the map, 1948 to 1986

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

Thedford on the 1948 USGS mapThedford on the 1950 USGS mapThedford on the 1986 USGS map1948Thedford 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 Thedford.

Questions about Thedford’s history

What year was Thedford founded?

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

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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), 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.