About Filley
Filley is a village in Gage County, Nebraska. It is very small: 0.11 square miles, with 124 residents at the 2020 census, down from 132 in 2010 and 174 in 2000. Most of what is written about Filley concerns one building.
History
Filley was platted in 1883, when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for its founder, Elijah Filley. He became an accomplished farmer and served in the Nebraska House of Representatives from 1880 to 1881 and in the Nebraska Senate from 1882 to 1883.
The stone barn
The Elijah Filley Stone Barn was built in 1874, nearly a decade before the town was platted. The limestone was quarried by Ammi Filley. Elijah Filley put the work up during a stretch of drought and grasshopper trouble, in part to give farmers a reason to stay in the area. The barn is three storeys and is identified on its National Register listing as the largest limestone bank barn in Nebraska. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 11 April 1977. The Gage County Historical Society maintains it and keeps it open to the public, and living history demonstrations are held there. The exterior can be viewed at any time; group tours are arranged through the historical society.
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Filley was platted in the early 1880s when the railroad reached the site, on land donated by founder Elijah Filley, for whom the village is named. The Elijah Filley Stone Barn, built in 1874, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is maintained by the local historical society. MGM leading man Robert Taylor (born Spangler Arlington Brugh) was from Filley.
A small village home to the National Register-listed Elijah Filley Stone Barn (1874) and the birthplace of actor Robert Taylor.