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History · Royal

Royal’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Royal. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
4recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The community was established in 1890 (or 1880), and was originally named "Savage". The community was renamed after Royal Thayer, who helped establish the post office.

An unusual point in the town's history is the defunct "Zoo Nebraska", which was near Royal. After some chimpanzees escaped, and were killed, the zoo gained some national attention and then ultimately collapsed. In 2019 a book about the zoo and the incident was released.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Royal’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Royal’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from RoyalWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Royal.Meet them →
By decade

Royal, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today4 photos
Royal, Nebraska from E 1CommonsRoyal, Nebraska from E 12012Royal, Nebraska closed post office 1CommonsRoyal, Nebraska closed post office 12012Royal, Nebraska abandoned bldgs 1CommonsRoyal, Nebraska abandoned bldgs 12012NEMap-doton-RoyalCommonsNEMap-doton-Royal2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Royal is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Royal has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Verdigris Creek Bridge in Royal, 2 miles away.

Royal and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Royal. Tap a dot.
Verdigris Creek BridgeElkhorn River BridgeNeligh Carnegie LibraryGates College GymnasiumNeligh Mill (Boundary Increase)Kester Planing Mill

Closest to Royal

Verdigris Creek BridgeRoyal · Structure2miElkhorn River BridgeClearwater · Built 188312miNeligh Carnegie LibraryNeligh · Building14.8miGates College GymnasiumNeligh · Building14.8miNeligh Mill (Boundary Increase)Neligh · District14.9mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Verdigris Creek Bridge’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Royal?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Royal’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Orchard📜 Brunswick📜 Logan📜 Miller

From Wikimedia Commons (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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