History

Nemaha County History

Nemaha County was created by an act of the territorial legislature approved on March 7, 1855. Boundaries for the county were defined in 1855, redefined in 1856 and 1858. The county was named for the Nemaha River. The Otoe Indian name of the river is Nimaha, which means "miry water." The county seat struggle lasted until Auburn was elected in 1883.

In 1853 Joseph Deroin platted the townsite of St. Deroin in the southeast corner of the county, an area reserved for people of mixed white-Indian ancestry. A year later, when Nebraska became a territory, Richard Brown acquired land along the Missouri River and founded the town of Brownville.

Early Settlers had a difficult time when prices for farm products plummeted in the financial panic of 1857. Residents believed a railroad through the county would solve many financial problems, and in the 1860's county bonds were approved to assist in building a railroad. Interest on the bonds added to the county's financial burden, but finally the first train of the Midland Pacific Railroad reached Brownville in February 1875. The pioneers' tenacity and hard work overcame the problems of these early years.

Auburn, one of the newest cities in Nemaha County, includes three earlier towns within its city limits: St. George, Sheridan and Calvert.

The 40 acres of St. George, now northeast Auburn, were platted in the 1850's. Sheridan was surveyed as a 160-acre town site in 1868, just a short distance west of St. George. Calvert began in 1881 as the result of a new railroad depot site being selected south of Sheridan. The Burlington and Missouri Railroad, who purchased the land and named it in honor of Thomas E. Calvert, a railroad official, selected the site.

Under the leadership of Church Howe and Charles Nixon, the towns of Calvert and Sheridan incorporated into the town of Auburn on May 1, 1882. Auburn became the county seat of Nemaha County on February 27, 1883. Nixon and Howe donated land for a city park, which now includes the memorial "Avenue of Flags" honoring the county's men who died in war.

A vestige of the past, Auburn still supports two "downtown" areas. One is located around the junction of U. S. Highways 136 and 75. The other is located around the County Court House, 1824 N Street, Suite 105, Auburn, NE 68305.

Auburn is Nebraska's Oldest Tree City USA in the state. Auburn has been honored as a Tree City USA since 1978.

The town of Brock started with many evolutions. The first town site was laid out in 1854 south of the Nemaha River Bridge and was called Dayton. The town name was changed to Howard in 1869, later to Podunk, and then to Brock, in honor of the superintendent of the railroad.

A crude dam and gristmill, powered by the waterfall of the Nemaha, was built in 1867 and a sawmill was added in 1870. The first store was established in 1871. The town was platted in 1878 and incorporated in 1882. The railroad came through in 1881, and the town moved to its present location. A flood in 1883 forced another move for some up on the hillside. After the Nemaha River was dredged, many moved back down the hill.

Brock's first school was built in 1884 and was called Union School. Union School consolidated with Johnson in 1969. Electricity replaced oil lamps in Brock in the early 1900's, and city water was installed in 1931. In 1981 a new fire station and community center were completed and available for social gatherings.

Brownville was named in honor of Richard Brown, who with B. B. Frazier, owned the site and planned and platted the original town in April 1856. The town was incorporated in March 1855, amended in February 1857, and reincorporated in February 1864.

Brownville provided many firsts for Nemaha County. It also gave the state of Nebraska the first telegraph (1860), the first Nebraska-grown alfalfa (1871), and the first Territorial District Court (1856). Daniel Freeman registered the first homestead in the United States at Brownville.

A post office was established in 1855. The same year Brown built a flatboat ferry. A flour mill and lumber mill sprang up. Brownville Mills continues to operate and offers fresh milled products and several lines of health food items. 

Robert Furnas (the state's second governor) began publishing "The Nebraska Advertiser" in 1856 and founded the "Nebraska Farmer" in 1859. Furnas also established a large nursery with peach and apple trees as well as vineyards and fields of strawberries. Fruit by the carload was shipped from Brownville before the "Armistice Day Freeze" of 1940, which killed many trees.

In 1875 the Midland Pacific Railroad completed its rails to Brownville from Nebraska City, which helped restore some of the commerce to the "port city."

The Brownville Historical Society was organized in 1956 and held its first festival in 1957, attracting more than 10,000 people. (If the Historical Society still hosts one of Brownville's annual events, perhaps we should mention the name and indicate the annual dates here?)

Johnson began in 1861 and was named for Julius A. Johnson who owned the land on which the town is located. The site was laid out in 1869. When the Burlington Railroad from Tecumseh to Auburn was being built in 1881, the Railroad Company chose to stop at the present site of Johnson. Land was purchased and the town was laid out with nine streets. The town was finally incorporated in 1882, the same year the railroad was completed to the town.

By February 1873 when the Johnson Post Office was established, most of the farmland had been settled. " The Johnson News" newspaper began publishing in 1890. In 1892, when two freight trains and two passenger trains served Johnson daily, a dray line was established to handle the freight.

Johnson's first bank opened in 1892. In 1896 the volunteer fire department was organized. An electric generating plant was installed in 1913, and Main Street was paved in 1942.

A school was built in 1936. In 1957 ten rural districts consolidated and a new building was erected in Johnson. Johnson's K-12 school was built in 1957, as a result of this consolidation. The Johnson-Brock School District was formed in 1958, using facilities in both towns. A new addition was added in 2001.

About thirty-five years ago a post office was established in 1882 at a farm house a little more than a mile from the present location of the town. This post office was given the name of Julian in honor of Julian Bahaud, a rich bachelor Frenchman who lived in the community and owned several farms nearby. Bahaud was among the first French settlers in the region. About 40 French families settle in the Julian and Brock vicinities. They were mostly farmers who worked the rich land of the area.

In 1869, Julian became a stop for the Pony Express at Tobin Station. The first railroad came through in 1887. The town was given or sold to Silas H. H. Clark, the vice-president of Missouri Pacific Railroad, in 1887.

A Catholic Church was established in 1881 and a Methodist Society, meeting in various locations, built a church in 1889. School District 81 formed in 1898. A two-story school housed a 9-grade system with a 10th grade added later. In 1917 the school building burned and Julian and Rock Creek school districts consolidated and built a K-12 school. The last high school graduation was in 1951.

Electricity came to Julian in 1895 when George Hauptman, using an old threshing machine engine, furnished power to the town a few hours each day. Telephones were installed in 1902. When the town was established, the post office was moved to its present site but retained its name. Mr. Bahaud was murdered at his home in June 1899.

The site for Nemaha, with the Little Nemaha River facing the south and the Missouri River on the east, was selected in 1854 and was incorporated and approved by an act of the territorial legislature in the 1855-1856 term.

Nemaha was busy during the civil war as a station of the Underground Railroad for smuggling slaves to the north. Many were ferried across the river, hid in Nemaha attics by day, and headed north to Nebraska City at night.

Dr. Jerome Hoover, credited as being the town's founder, donated a public square to the town. The park is still in use today. Nemaha schools began in 1857 and continued until 1966, when it merged with Stella to form the Southeast Consolidated Schools. Nemaha was incorporated in January 1856.

In 1857 another settlement was established by the river. Named Peru, it immediately started to grow. The early settlers came from Peru, Illinois, and when the town was laid out, they gave it the name of their former home. In 1861 a Methodist Institute, the "Mount Vernon Academy," was founded. In 1867 the academy became Nebraska's first "normal school" (for training of schoolteachers), the third such school west of the Missouri at the time.  Peru State College remains an important part of Nemaha County.  

The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad arrived in Peru in 1857. During a flood in the 1880's, the river cut a new channel; some of the city is now on the East Side of the river.

Lewis and Clark passed through the Peru area, and it is believed that a member of the group was buried there.  The area was originally inhabited by the Otoe Indians.

Among the industries in Peru's early history were a canning factory, cider plant, ice plant, box factory, brickyard, and a flourmill. In 1912 the ten counties in Southeast Nebraska produced more apples than did the six states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Colorado. A disastrous freeze on "Armistice Day" in 1940 killed thousands of fruit trees. Only one orchard was replanted.

Peru's biggest celebration, June's "Old Man River Days" results from the town's willingness to work together against the forces of the Missouri River when it threatened to flood the town in 1943. The same spirit is evident today, as Peru searches for innovative ways to serve itself and the college.

Information kindly provided by Lori Wagner.