TOWNS PAST & PRESENT -- LANCASTER CO., NEGENWEB PROJECT

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Lancaster Co.
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Towns Past & Present

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AGNEW- Peak population (1910) 60. Post office was established August 17, 1886. Village named in honor of James William Agnew, a railroad contractor and later a conductor on the Union Pacific Railroad.

ALDO JUNCTION - It was established in 1983 by Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific where their branch lines crossed south of Lincoln as interchange trackage to facilitate Crete Mills flour shipments to the West Coast. Named for Aldo Hoffmeier, traffic manager of Crete Mills.

ARBOR - Post office established Oct. 2, 1894; discontinued June 21, 1900. Named by Joy Morton, son of J. Sterling Morton, who inspired Arbor Day. Arbor Lodge, the Morton home, is a state historical park in Nebraska City.

ARNOLD HEIGHTS - Suburb northwest of Lincoln, site of former Lincoln Army Air Field (1942-1945), Lincoln Air Force Base (1952-1966). See Huskerville.

ASYLUM - Post office established March 16, 1880; discontinued June 14, 1910. Location near the state asylum.

ATHENS - Post office established February 12, 1889; name changed to University Place, July 30, 1889. Probably named for several other towns of the same name throughout the United States.

BEDFORD - A proposed town that never got beyond promotion stage.

BELMONT - Suburb of Lincoln located on an elevation north of the city. Probably named for one of 18 Belmonts in the U. S. A federal land grant issued in 1868 for a proposed Baptist community did not produce a settlement. The Episcopal Church opened up the Worthington Military Academy in Belmont in 1892, but the school was destroyed by an explosion in 1898. The area was not substantially developed until 1952 by the activation of the Lincoln Air Force Base.

BENNET - Peak population (1990) 544 Post office name changed from Bennett's Station, February 18, 1880. When the Midland Pacific Railroad was built through here in 1871, the town was surveyed and platted. It was named for John Bennett, resident and railway official. Sometime in the early 1880's the "t" was dropped from the name to form the present spelling of the name.

BENNETT'S STATION - The post office name was changed from Rebecca March 2, 1871. Name was changed to Bennett (later Bennet) Feb. 18, 1880. (See Bennet)

BERKS - Post office was established April 29, 1898. (Census not available). Discontinued May 15, 1912. Present station on the Burlington Railroad and former town named by railroad officials for Berks County, Pennsylvania.

BETHANY - Post office was established Dec. 6, 1890. Bethany has been a section of Lincoln since 1926. J. Z. Briscoe of Lincoln, and later of Bethany was one of the town founders. He selected "Bethany" because of the Biblical Bethany. Bethany, a suburb of Lincoln, and also an educational center, was settled by the Disciples of Christ, who founded Cotner College. Incorporated name of Bethany is Bethany Heights.

BETHANY HEIGHTS - A suburb of Lincoln. See Bethany.

BUDA - Post office was established Sept. 2, 1870; discontinued Nov. 14, 1872. Origin of the name is not known.

BURNHAM - Post office was established July 11, 1899 and discontinued Jan. 4, 1910. Former post office and present railroad station was named in honor of S. W. Burnham, landowner. Frank Burnham was first postmaster. Town is on the Burlington southwest of Lincoln.

CAMP CREEK - The post office was established Nov. 13, 1866; name was changed to Waverly Dec. 8, 1870. Named for nearby Camp Creek.

CARLOS - Station on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

CENTREVILLE - The post office was established Oct. 8, 1865 and name was changed to Sprague on Nov. 24, 1888. It was named for its central location.

CHENEY - Peak population (1940) 149. Post office was established Sept. 28, 1876 and discontinued 1943. Mail is served from Lincoln. Railroad station was known as Cheney's Town named in honor of a Mr. Cheney, first settler in the township.

CHESTER - One of the first settlements in Lancaster County and the first designated county seat.

CLAYTON - The designated county seat in old Clay County.

COBB - Former station southwest of Lincoln on the Burlington Railroad, named in honor of an early landowner.

COLLEGE VIEW - Post office was established March 3, 1891 and established as a station of Lincoln in 1931. Name because it was the home of the Union College founded by the Seventh Day Adventists. Its elevation gives a view of the surrounding area.

CROUNSE - Post office was established April 29, 1873 and discontinued Oct. 24, 1901. Probably named in honor of Governor Lorenzo Crounse, associate Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court at the time that the post office was established.

CUSHMAN - Former station on the Burlington Railroad.

DAVEY - Peak population (1970) 163. Post office was established Feb. 1, 1887. It was named to honor Michael Davey, on whose land part of the town was platted by Western Town Lot Company in 1886.

DENTON - Peak population (1940) 164. Post office was established May 1, 1877. Named in honor of Daniel M. Denton on whose land the town was built.

DOUGLAS - Proposed town on Salt Creek which the Territorial Legislature voted on Jan. 5, 1857 on which to move the capital. The bill was vetoed by Territorial Governor Mark W. Izard.

DUNN - Post office was established March 27, 1884 and discontinued Feb. 20, 1888. Probably named in honor of William H. Dunn, first postmaster.

EMERALD - Peak population (1890) 100. The post office was established Jan. 22, 1884 and discontinued in 1945, with mail being served from Lincoln. Named by settlers who described this spot as the most beautiful green spot in the country.

ENTERPRISE - Post office established July 6, 1871 and discontinued April 7, 1876. Probably named by enterprising settlers who wanted their area to prosper.

FIRTH - Peak population (1990) 471. Post office was established Dec. 6, 1872. The town was named in honor of Superintendent Frank R. Firth of the Atchison and Nebraska Railroad, later the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.

GARRAT - Former station of the Union Pacific Railroad.

GREGORY'S BASIN - Post office was established May 28, 1863 and discontinued April 12, 1871. Possibly named in honor of John S. Gregory, Jr., first postmaster.

HALLAM - Peak population (1990) 309. Post office was established July 10, 1893. In 1892 the town was platted by Kansas Town and Land Company and was probably named for Hallam, Switzerland.

HANLON - Station on the Union Pacific Railroad near Roca.

HAVELOCK - On Dec. 31, 1890 the post office name was changed from Newton. It was made a station of Lincoln. A suburb of Lincoln named in honor of Sir Henry Havelock (1785-1857) an English general & hero of the siege of Lucknow, India.

HAWTHORNE - Former community in Lancaster County.

HICKMAN - Peak population (1990) 1,081. On Dec. 4, 1872 name was changed from South Pass. Named in honor of C. H. Hickman, who platted the town in 1872.

HIGHLAND - Former name of Berks before a post office was established. The railroad retained the name of Highland.

HIGHLAND PARK - Former station of the Burlington Railroad.

HOBSON - Station on the Burlington Railroad.

HOLLAND - Peak population (1960) 110. The post office was established May 20, 1873. Town named by settlers for European nation.

HUSKERVILLE - During World War II, Huskerville was built around the Lincoln Army Air Field. After the war, the barrack's were used as housing for returning soldiers and their families. It was closed shortly after a polio outbreak in 1952. A housing development is now on the site. See Arnold Heights.

HYERSVILLE - Post office name was changed from Nobesville on April 29, 1887 and discontinued Nov. 25, 1889. Named in honor of Reuben Hyers.

IVANHOE - Post office was established on Feb. 15, 1881 and discontinued Sept. 18, 1891. Probably named in honor of Sir Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe".

JAMAICA - Station on the Union Pacific Railroad in Yankee Hill Precinct. Probably named for Jamaica, NY.

KRAMER - Peak population (1930) 133. Post office was established Jan. 15, 1889 and discontinued 1955. Mail is served from Crete. Town named for Mr. Kramer, a donor of the land for the town site.

LANCASTER - On Jan. 18, 1854 a post office was established. On Jan. 25, 1868, the name was changed to Lincoln. The town was platted and named Lancaster in 1864 by Elder John M. Young, the Rev. Peter Schamp, Dr. J. McKesson, Luke Lavender and Jacob Dawson. Elder Young formed the Lancaster Seminary Association for the Methodist colony here. Lancaster was made the county seat in 1864 and the first county court session was held at the Jacob Dawson cabin. For judicial purposes the County was previously connected to Cass County. Lancaster was settled with the prospects of a salt company being formed there.

LANCASTER - Post office was established March 1892 and discontinued Jan. 14, 1910. Former post office and present station on the Burlington Railroad south of Lincoln.

   LINCOLN - Population (1990) 191,972. Post office name changed from Lancaster on Feb. 28, 1868. Nebraska's capital city named Lincoln in honor of President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Nebraska has had three capitol buildings in Lincoln. The first was completed in 1869, the second in 1888 - both were razed. Ground was broken April 15, 1922 for the present capitol and was completed in 1932. It is considered an outstanding example of modern architecture with a 400-foot tower topped with a 32.5-foot bronze statue of the Sower, symbolizing Nebraska agriculture. Lincoln was made county seat in transition from Lancaster, Feb. 12, 1869.

LINPARK - Station on the Union Pacific Railroad.

LITTLE SALT - Former station on the Union Pacific Railroad.

LOYAL HILL - Post office was established March 4, 1874 and discontinued Aug. 19, 1885. Possibly named by patrons of the post office.

MALCOLM - Peak population (1980) 355. Post office was established Nov. 19, 1874. Named for Malcolm A. Showers who owned land on which it was laid out in 1877.

MARGARETTA - Early settlement possibly named in honor of the wife of Governor Lorenzo Crounse.

MARTELL - Peak population (1950) 104. Post office was established Dec. 27, 1894. Town named by R. J. Green, A. G. Beeson and H. M. Bushmell of Lincoln, who bought the land and laid out the town site. Possibly named in honor of Charles Martel, king of the Franks (689-741).

MAYVILLE - Post office was established May 2, 1872 and discontinued April 6, 1874. Origin of the name not known. First postmaster was W. W. Carder.

MCFARLAND - Post office was established Aug. 11, 1874 and discontinued Dec. 3, 1878. Named in honor of a local settler.

MIDDLE CREEK - Post office was established April 24, 1868 and discontinued Aug. 2, 1869. Named for a creek on which the post office was located.

MILLVILLE - Post office name was changed from Sod Hill on March 17, 1874 and discontinued Dec. 12, 1876. Probably named for an area grist mill.

NEWTON - Former name of Havelock before a post office was established.

NOBESVILLE - The post office name was changed from Penitentiary on Aug. 4, 1880 and name changed again to Hyersville on April 29, 1887. Named for penitentiary warden, C. J. Nobes.

NORMAL - On Aug. 25, 1892, a post office was established and discontinued Jan. 31, 1930. It was the site of the Lincoln Normal School for which the town was named. The school is no longer in existence and the town is now a part of Lincoln.

OLATHE - Early settlement on Salt Creek 15 miles south of Lincoln. It was founded by John D. Prey and sons in old Clay County. The Olathe quarries were near Roca. Proposed town was never developed.

OLIVE BRANCH - Post office was established on Nov. 13, 1866 and discontinued on Feb. 12, 1889.

OPEQUON - Post office was established on Nov. 16, 1869 and discontinued on April 12, 1870. The name is probably Native American in origin. Places with the same Tuscaroca Indian name founded in Jefferson County, West Virginia and Frederick County, Virginia.

ORIENT - This locality is mentioned in early county history.

ORLANDO - Post office was established on Feb. 6, 1878 and the name was changed to Raymond on May 15, 1880. Origin of the name is not known.

PANAMA - Peak population (1910) 230. Post office was established on Dec. 20, 1869. Probably named for the Isthmus of Panama. There are five other towns in the U. S. with the same name.

PARIS - Early locality of Lancaster County.

PARK - Post office was established on Dec. 14, 1870 and discontinued on Aug. 11, 1873. The origin of the name is unknown.

PECK'S GROVE - Station on the Missouri Pacific Railroad named in honor of Philetus Peck, landowner and a planter of a grove of trees.

PELLA - Peak population (1900) 18. Post office was established on Aug. 24, 1883 and discontinued on July 14, 1903. Founded by Dutch settlers from Pella, Iowa. The location was in the southeastern part of the county.

PENITENTIARY - Post office was established on July 2, 1879 and name was changed to Nobesville Aug.4, 1880. It was named for the Nebraska State Penitentiary whose postal service it handled.

PRAIRIE HOME - Peak population (1930, 1940) 126. Post office was established on Oct. 3, 1872. Town was named by a Mr. Waite, first depot agent on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Post office was discontinued in 1968.

PRINCETON - Post office was established on April 30, 1886 and was made a rural station of Lincoln in 1958. The village was probably named for Princeton, NJ.

RAYMOND - Peak population (1920) 249. Post office name changed from Orlando on May 15, 1880. The town was named in honor of I. M. Raymond, senior member of the firm Raymond Brothers and Clark, wholesale grocers of Lincoln.

REBECCA - Post office was established on Aug. 26, 1868 and name was changed to Bennett's Station on March 2, 1871. First postmaster was John Staley. Origin of the name is not known.

ROCA - Peak population (1890) 190. Post office was established on May 18, 1876. When the town was platted in 1876, the town's people wanted to choose a name which would suggest the chief industry in the area which was stone quarrying. Roca is the Spanish word for stone.

ROCK CREEK - Post office was established on April 25, 1872 and discontinued March 24, 1876. It was named for a nearby creek.

ROKEBY - Peak population (1900) 100. Post office was established on Sept. 22, 1894 and discontinued May 22, 1919. Former village and station on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad & probably named for Sir Walter Scott's poem, "Rokeby".

SALINE CITY - Founded in Westcott Field at the crossing of Salt Creek. It was intended as a stop on the Steam Wagon Road from Nebraska City to Fort Kearny. The present state hospital is located nearby.

SALT BASIN - Early settlement founded by John Prey, who pre-empted a claim here in 1857. The inhabitants wanted the state capitol to be located in this area.

SALT CREEK - Locality mentioned in early county history.

SALTILLO - Post office was established on March 27, 1865 and discontinued on Jan. 7, 1906. The town was founded in 1892 after the post office was established. Possibly named for Saltillo, Mexico.

SHIRLEY'S STATION - Post office was established on Sept. 25, 1863 and discontinued Nov. 25, 1865. Possibly named for the first postmaster, William Shirley.

SILVER - A proposed name for a post office in 1886.

SOD HILL - Post office was established on April 25, 1872 and name was changed to Millville on March 17, 1874. Possibly named from someone taking sod from a hill, to build a sod house.

SOUTH PASS - Post office was established on April 8, 1869 and name changed to Hickman on Dec. 4, 1872. Probably named for its location near a watershed or divide.

SPRAGUE - Peak population (1980) 168. Post office name changed from Centreville on Nov. 24, 1888. The town was surveyed on the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1888 and was named by a Mr. Sprague.

STEVEN'S CREEK - Post office was established on April 30, 1868 and discontinued on June 17, 1870. Named for a nearby creek which was also named for a local settler.

STIRCUS CREEK - Locality established in the early 1880's.

STOCKWELL - Locality in early county history.

STRICKLAND MILLS - Locality in early county history.

SUMMIT - Former station on the Burlington Railroad in the South Pass Precinct.

TIPTON - Post office was established on April 27, 1869 and discontinued April 22, 1873. Probably was named in honor of a local settler.

UNIVERSITY PLACE - Post office name was changed from Athens on July 30, 1889 and made a station of Lincoln June 15, 1907. Town named for the Nebraska Wesleyan University here.

WAGNER'S - Probably a former railroad station north of Lincoln.

WALTON - Peak population (1940) 152. Post office was established on Dec. 13, 1880. The town was named in honor of A. Walton, who homesteaded nearby.

WAVERLY - Peak population (1980) 1,726. Post office name changed from Camp Creek on Dec. 8, 1870. Named for Sir Walter Scott's historical novel, "Waverly", and streets are named for characters in the book.

WEST LINCOLN - Peak population (1960) 507. Post office established on Feb. 15, 1880 and discontinued on Sept. 7, 1901. Mail served from Lincoln. Its name was from its locality west of Lincoln.

WEST OAK - Former station on the Union Pacific Railroad. Probably named for the burr oak timber in the area.

WOODLAWN - Peak population (1880) 100. Post office was established on Aug. 11, 1874 and discontinued on April 20, 1891. Mail is served from Lincoln. Town was named for the precinct.

YANKEE HILL - Former community vied for county seat with Lancaster.

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