 Stanberry was platted in 1879 by the Western Improvement Company at the Council Bluffs & Omaha division of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad. The town was named for John J. Stansberry, a prominent farmer who donated 40 acres for the railroad right-of-way. No records explain the spellings change from Stansberry to Stanberry. The town stands apart from other commities for its brick paved streets in the town's business district where lies the city park featuring Civil War era cannon, bandstand and croquet court. The brick streets reflect the town's 1890s prosperity when the population exceeded 3,000 people. After World War II, the community acquired new fire equipment, made street improvements, and replaced switchboard telephone service with dial telephones in 1956. In 1953 a cap factory opened and stayed in operation until 1983. Stanberry purchased a farm in the mid-50's where it later constructed a city golf course, a municipal swimming pool, athletic field and nursing home. School expansion in 1966 marked progress as more recently does the opening of Midwest Manufacturing.
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