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History · Wolbach

Wolbach’s post office opened in 1880, and 51% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1910.

1880first post office
0on the National Register
51%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Wolbach began, and where its name came from

When was Wolbach founded?

1880

The Wolbach post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 563 in 19102020 census: 224146 years

How did Wolbach get its name?

Wolbach was named for S. N. Wolbach, one of the original owners of the town site.

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

What stands out about Wolbach’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 Wolbach are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18993 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Wolbach change.Old housesHalf of Wolbach’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wolbach’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wolbach’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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On the map

Wolbach on the map, 1899 to 1985

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

Wolbach on the 1899 USGS mapWolbach on the 1954 USGS mapWolbach on the 1985 USGS map1899St Paul sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Wolbach.

The story

How Wolbach came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wolbach.

Read it all →

Wolbach was established as a town in 1887 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for S. N. Wolbach, one of the original owners of the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Wolbach, decade by decade

Today5 recent
NEMap-doton-Wolbach2017NEMap-doton-WolbachWolbach, Nebraska Center from Kendell 22010Wolbach, Nebraska Center from Kendell 2Wolbach, Nebraska Center from Kendell 12010Wolbach, Nebraska Center from Kendell 1Wolbach, Nebraska Center from Kempton 22010Wolbach, Nebraska Center from Kempton 2Wolbach, Nebraska Center from Kempton 12010Wolbach, Nebraska Center from Kempton 1
People over time

Wolbach, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020Peak: 589

Between 224 and 589 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Questions about Wolbach’s history

What year was Wolbach founded?

The Wolbach post office opened in 1880, 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.