About Ong
Ong is a village in Clay County, in south central Nebraska, and part of the Hastings micropolitan statistical area. It covers about 0.29 square miles and lies in Logan Township, less than a mile from the eastern county line. The 2020 census counted 49 residents, down from 63 in 2010 and 67 in 2000.
History
The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad platted the town site on 22 April 1886. The village was named for Judge Joseph Eli Ong, 1845 to 1912, who owned the land on which the town was surveyed. The post office carried three names in turn. It opened as Joong on 20 August 1886, was later called Greenberry, and became Ong on 12 November 1888. It closed in 1966.
Population and business
Ong incorporated in 1902 with about 200 residents and reached its official census peak of 285 in 1910. Early businesses included the Chicago Lumber Company, the Thomas Cochrane Grain Company and the Exchange Bank of Ong, founded in 1890. A Presbyterian church was built in the spring of 1888. Grain shipping through the local elevators has remained the main economic activity.
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Ong is a Clay County village platted in 1886 and named for Judge Joseph Eli Ong, incorporating as a village in 1902.
Ong's population has fallen more than 80 percent from its peak of around 285 residents in 1910, a decline mirrored across many of Clay County's smaller rail-era towns.