1966:  Freddy is arrested for the murders of twenty neighborhood children.  A confession from young Kathryn regarding her mother's disappearance prompted police action.  Kathryn is placed in the care of adoption services after Freddy's arrest.

1967:  The Burroughs family adopts Kathryn, gives her a new name, and moves her away from Springwood.  Her records are subsequently sealed to conceal her true identity.

1968:  Freddy Krueger's high profile trial begins and is cut short when it's revealed the search warrant to obtain evidence was not signed correctly.  Trial evidence is deemed inadmissible and Krueger is released.  Later that night, outraged and grieving neighborhood parents form a mob and track Freddy to his boiler room lair.  The mob encircles the lair, pouring gasoline around the boiler room and igniting it.  In addition, Molotov cocktails are thrown through the lair's windows - setting its interior ablaze.  The mob stands motionless until Krueger perishes in the conflagration.

While the flames surround him, Freddy is approached by three dream demons.  These demons roam the land of the living until they find the most evil soul, and in turn, give them the power to turn dreams into reality.  Krueger accepts their offer to "be forever" as the flames consume him.

The parents involved with Krueger's death agree to keep the incident secret and help erase his existence.  Krueger's remains are taken to Penny Bros. Auto Salvage and hid in the trunk of an old red Cadillac.  Officer Donald Thompson moves his family into the house at 1428 Elm Street.  With Kathryn Krueger already gone from Springwood, all loose ends are tied up.

Amanda Krueger, who had been following Fred's trial, hears of his release and hangs herself in the tower where she was raped.  Afterward, her body is sealed in the condemned tower and a memorial stone is placed in the Springwood cemetery for Amanda Krueger, her name in Christ: Sister Mary Helena.

Introduction

The timeline below is based on the highly successful horror series:
A Nightmare On Elm Street
 
This outline is the canonical account based on the films and approved licensing tie-ins.  It contains the least possible spoilers for those who have not seen all the films, but still contains enough information to have everything covered.

Deleted scenes from the films are not considered canon, due to their removal and contradicting references.  Origin stories and dates presented in 'The Life and Death of Freddy Krueger', 'Marvel Comics Presents…' and 'Freddy's Nightmares' are also not considered canon - due to the films rewrote most of what was presented in these tales. 

To view this Timeline (with references) in Acrobat format, please click here.
In addition to this traditional Timeline, you can view a narrative version here.


- A Nightmare On Elm Street Timeline -

1907:  Amanda Krueger is born.

Circa 1940:  Practicing nun Sister Mary Helena (Amanda Krueger) is accidentally locked in the tower for the criminally insane at 'Our Lady of Sorrows' mental institution.  She is raped for days by the one hundred patients confined there.  Amanda is found afterward, barley alive and now pregnant.  After the incident in the tower, that wing of the hospital is closed and Our Lady of Sorrows changes its name to 'Westin Hills psychiatric hospital'.  Frederick Charles Krueger is born months later after a breech birth and given up for adoption.

Circa 1940 to 1961:  Fred Krueger is placed with an abusive alcoholic named Mr. Underwood.  Mr. Underwood addresses Fred as "Freddy", and abuses the boy physically and verbally in his drunken stupors.  In his elementary years, Freddy begins to exhibit sociopathic behavior by killing small animals.  Other children often ridicule him, making him an outsider socially.

In his late teens, Freddy proclaims to have learned the secret of pain from self-mutilation and kills Mr. Underwood.

In early adulthood, Freddy marries a woman named Loretta.  The Krueger's reside in Freddy's childhood home at 1428 Elm Street. 

1961:  Kathryn Krueger is born.

Circa 1961 to 1965: Police begin to find the slashed and burned remains of neighborhood children.  They are unable to solve the murders and local newspapers dub the mysterious killer: The Springwood Slasher. 

Loretta Krueger finds a hidden room in the basement of the house containing items of the macabre; included are versions of a workman's glove with long metal talons on the four main fingers.  Promising she won't tell, Freddy strangles her in front of young Kathryn for "snooping in his special work." 

Freddy works as a janitor at the local power plant, and in its abandoned boiler room he killed the missing children.

1990:  Alice and Jacob move away from Springwood.  Freddy gains enough power to break free and returns.

The events of issues 1 and 2 of the 'Nightmares on Elm Street' comic series take place.

1995: The events of issues 3 thru 6 of the 'Nightmares on Elm Street' comic series take place.

The events of the Nightmare series primarily take place in the fictional town of Springwood, Ohio.  The film Wes Craven's New Nightmare is set outside the Nightmare story and takes place in the fictional "real world" in 1994.  Canon for the Nightmare on Elm Street series only includes what was/is approved by New Line Cinema.  Confusion began when licensing deals were given to various comic book and book publishers in the 1980's.  New Line did not take an active role in the approval process until 1990.

Considered canon:

   +  The films released in theatres.
   +  Nightmares on Elm Street comic book series by Innovation Comics.
   +  Freddy Krueger's: Tales of Terror novel series by Tor Books.
   +  A Nightmare on Elm Street comic book series by Avatar Press.
   +  A Nightmare on Elm Street novel series by Black Flame.
   +  A Nightmare on Elm Street comic book series by Wildstorm/DC Comics.
   +  Freddy's Nightmares - A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series

The television series Freddy's Nightmares is loosely considered canon.  Some episodes do present altered backstories/dates from that of the given films.  Though most episodes do not interfere with the film events and can fit nicely in the given timeline, the backstories/dates presented in the TV series should not be favored over the films.