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–Not graded
History · Wakefield Township

Wakefield Township’s post office opened in 1881, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1967 on, and the census since 1900.

1881first post office
1on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Wakefield Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Wakefield Township began, and where its name came from

When was Wakefield Township founded?

1881

The Wakefield Township post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 755 in 19002020 census: 1,387145 years

How did Wakefield Township get its name?

Wakefield Township was named for L. W. Wakefield, a railroad engineer.

Founding year: the first Wakefield Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Wakefield Township’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Wakefield Township’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wakefield Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBird's eye view: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Wakefield Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wakefield Township.

Read it all →

Wakefield got its start in the year 1881, following construction of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway through the territory. It was named for L. W. Wakefield, a railroad engineer. Wakefield was incorporated in 1883.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Wakefield Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s2 items
Bird's eye view1910Bird's eye viewBird's eye view1910Bird's eye view
1920s–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
Today2 recent
Wakefield, Nebraska Michael Foods plant2010Wakefield, Nebraska Michael Foods plantNEMap-doton-Wakefield2005NEMap-doton-Wakefield
On the map

Wakefield Township on the map, 1967 to 1986

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

Wakefield Township on the 1967 USGS mapWakefield Township on the 1986 USGS map1967Wakefield 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 Wakefield Township.

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.

Bird's eye view
Retake this viewBird's eye view, 1910

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Wakefield Township

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

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

People over time

Wakefield Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60019001920194019601980200020201,522

Grew from 755 people in 1900 to 1,522 in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Springbank TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEmerson Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLogan TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Wakefield Township’s history

What year was Wakefield Township founded?

The Wakefield Township post office opened in 1881, 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 →
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 (2), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.