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History · Westerville

Westerville’s post office opened in 1882

Below: maps from 1951 on and old-book passages.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Westerville began

When was Westerville founded?

1882

The Westerville post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 31144 years
Founding year: the first Westerville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Westerville’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 Westerville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Westerville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Westerville’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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The story so far

Westerville, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Westerville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Westerville Township is one of thirty-one townships in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 130 at the 2020 census. A 2021 estimate placed the township's population at 129.

Its first post office opened in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 39 to 31 (-21%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Westerville in 1919

Passages that mention Westerville, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In the summer of 1881 a little band of homesteaders met at the town of Westerville and organized what was known as the Custer County Agricultural Society. The organizers were C. S. Elison, S. C. Beebe, George O.
History of Custer County, Nebraska1919 · page 380Read the page →
Read the text

In the summer of 1881 a little band of homesteaders met at the town of Westerville and organized what was known as the Custer County Agricultural Society. The organizers were C. S. Elison, S. C. Beebe, George O.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1884 the fairs were again held at Broken Bow and Westerville, during September and October, under the direction of the same society, which met at Westerville and voted the exclusive rights to a fair at Broken Bow.
History of Custer County, Nebraska1919 · page 381Read the page →
Read the text

In 1884 the fairs were again held at Broken Bow and Westerville, during September and October, under the direction of the same society, which met at Westerville and voted the exclusive rights to a fair at Broken Bow.

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.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Westerville on the map, 1951 to 1974

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

Westerville on the 1951 USGS mapWesterville on the 1974 USGS map1951Westerville 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 Westerville.

Famous people

Famous people close to Westerville

Nobody well known was born in Westerville itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Earl CooperAmerican racecar driver · b. 1886
E
Edmund JaegerAmerican biologist · b. 1887
Earl J. AtkissonColonel of the 1st Gas Regiment in World War I · b. 1886
A
Amanda GrosserodeAmerican politician · b. 1975
K
Kent McCloughanAmerican football player · b. 1940
Ray B. McCandlessAmerican football player and coach, basketball … · b. 1889

Questions about Westerville’s history

What year was Westerville founded?

The Westerville post office opened in 1882, 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.