About Dunbar
Dunbar is a village in Otoe County, in south-east Nebraska. It covers about 0.23 square miles and sits at an elevation of 1,083 feet. The 2020 census counted 165 residents. The ZIP code is 68346. Delaware Cemetery lies about a mile south of the village.
History
Dunbar was founded in 1856, at the point where four farms met. It was first called Wilson, after an early landowner, and a post office under that name was commissioned on 16 May 1866. The village was later renamed for John Dunbar, the oldest resident in the community. The Midland Pacific Railway was announced in 1867 to run west from Nebraska City, though trains did not reach Lincoln until April 1871. Dunbar reached its largest recorded population, 336, in 1940.
Two hard days
On 11 January 1887 robbers derailed a passenger train carrying silver bullion near Dunbar. The engineer was killed and others were hurt. On 8 May 1950 a flood tore through the village, destroying buildings and killing two residents. In 1965 the Highway 2 bypass opened, and through traffic left the downtown.
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Dunbar was founded in 1856 as "Wilson" before being renamed in honor of early resident John Dunbar. It grew into a large freighting depot for goods traveling west out of Nebraska City, and rail service arrived in 1869 via the Midland Pacific Railway and the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, bringing churches, hotels, banks, and professional services by the 1880s. The village endured a major flood in 1950 that washed away nine buildings, and a 1965 highway bypass later accelerated its population decline.
Dunbar, founded in 1856 as a freighting depot for Nebraska City, grew rapidly after rail service arrived in 1869.