Thayer County is Rich in History
Thayer County was a popular destination along the Oregon Trail. From covered wagons to railroad cars, our county has long been traversed by those looking to make their fortune out west. Much of this history can be found on the Thayer County Historical Society & Museum's website here.
Hebron was one of the top centers for Women's Suffrage in the late 1800s.
"Suffrage was kept alive by the efforts of people like a young Canadian immigrant, Erasmus Correll, who had moved to Hebron, Nebraska in 1869. He and his wife, Lucy, founded the Hebron Journal in 1871. They were both strong supporters of equal rights for women. Erasmus provided space in his newspaper for women who wished to make their voices heard on the issue of suffrage, and he and his wife wrote regular columns supporting feminist causes. In 1877, Correll convinced Susan B. Anthony to come to Hebron to speak on behalf of women’s rights. Two years later in 1879, Elizabeth Cady Stanton came to Hebron to lend her support to the cause.
Mr. Correll was elected to the State Legislature in 1880 and introduced a women’s suffrage bill. It was defeated, but by then over 30 local women’s suffrage organizations had been formed in Nebraska. Soon after, the Nebraska State Women’s Suffrage Association was formed. Clara Bewick Colby, of Beatrice joined the crusade and would eventually become Nebraska’s leading female crusader for women’s suffrage.
In 1882, Correll introduced another women’s suffrage bill. This time his proposal was to submit the question of women’s suffrage to the voters. Clara Colby, who made several speeches before both houses of the legislature, was credited with convincing the representatives to pass the bill. But the amendment was again defeated."
Read more about Women's Suffrage in Thayer County here.
Historic Trails and Markers
California Trail Marker
Several great trails to the West passed through Thayer County, including the Oregon-California Trail, the Pony Express Trail, and the overland stagecoach route. The California Trail Marker is located at the museum site in Belvidere. One of the earliest trails in the county, it ran north of the Big Sandy Creek.
Fort Butler Marker
The red rock marker with a bronze plaque was erected in 1930 by the Oregon Trail Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to honor the establishment of a stockade in 1869 called Ft. Butler. It was named in honor of the first Nebraska governor, David Butler. The stockade was built on the bank of Spring Creek west of the present-day marker by Company A, First Nebraska Cavalry which consisted of about 65 men for protection of the settlers.
Fort Kiowa
Approximately 9 miles south and 2 miles east of Deshler.
Served as a stopping place on the Oregon Trail, providing protection for early settlers from Native American raids. Some building foundations may still be seen.
Marks Mill
Established by the Rev. Ives Marks, who also started the town of Rose Creek City. A marker shows the site of early pioneer businesses at the edge of the county on Hwy. 8.
Oregon Trail
The path for the nineteenth century’s dramatic westward expansion, when hundreds of thousands of Americans journeyed from west through Nebraska to Oregon’s Willamette Valley in search of farmland, while others split off to California in search of gold. Ruts of the Oregon Trail still exist near Alexandria today. The route was later used by the Pony Express, freighters, overland stage companies and railroads. The largest marker on the Oregon Trail is located north of Hebron on Hwy. 81. The monument is made out of Red Granite and was dedicated May 24, 1915.
Pony Express Trail
Used to carry mail by horseback from St. Joseph, Missouri to California and back. It followed much of the same path as the Oregon Trail. Reenactments are held annually in June.
Sixth Principal Meridian Marker
Nine miles east of Hubbell on Highway 8 and three miles south on Road 7300.
Hubbell, NE 68375
Phone: (402) 768-7407
Surveyor’s Marker, the 6th Principal Meridian was the basis for all land measurements for all of Nebraska and Kansas and parts of Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota.
Two markers are located on the site, one State of Nebraska Marker and a stone monument placed there by the American Association of Surveyors.
Historic Buildings and Notable Architecture
Thayer County Courthouse
225 North 4th. Street
Hebron, NE 68370
Phone: (402) 768-6126
The Thayer County Courthouse was completed in 1903 of Indiana limestone in the Romanesque and Gothic style.
District 17 Rock School
In rural Gilead from the U.S. Highway 136 go north on Nebraska Highway 53 two miles, then take county road N ½ mile west.
Gilead, NE 68362
Phone: (402) 768-2468
This one-room school was built with native limestone rock obtained from the surrounding hills in 1873 and was operating until 1955.
Hebron Post Office Mural
145 N 5th St, Hebron, NE 68370
Painted by Miss Eldora Lorenzini in 1939. The mural was part of the New Deal’s WPA Federal Art Project which employed thousands of artists during the Great Depression. The 12 ft. x 4 ft. mural, which depicts the scene of a corn train that left Hebron on the Rock Island Railroad on March 31, 1887, was one of 12 murals painted in Nebraska. She was paid $670 for her efforts.
Arrowhead Gardens Arboretum
Jefferson Avenue between 7th. and 8th. Streets.
Hebron, NE 68370
Phone: (402) 768-6322, for tours (402) 768-7156
Established in the 1920’s, the gardens showcase eleven different varieties of trees, six different varieties of native grasses and many other types of plants.
Centennial Park Arboretum
East Entrance to Deshler on the south side of U.S. Highway 136
Deshler, NE 68340
Phone: (402) 365-4260
This arboretum contains more than fifteen memorial trees, thirty-two varieties of shrubs and a number of native grasses.
The Friendship Garden
912 Fourth Street
Deshler, NE 68340
Phone: (402) 365-4260
A garden including a Dragon Sculpture, flowers, trees, plus a replica gazebo of the old wooden agricultural hall that once stood on the grounds of the Thayer County Fair.
Thayer County Museum
The Thayer County Historical Society and Museum offers you the chance to experience 14 historically significant buildings along with countless artifacts that tell the story of Thayer County's history. Highlights include the Brimscombe United Methodist Episcopal Church, which was moved from Hubbell to Belvidere in 2019, and a Union Pacific Train Watch Station.
- PHONE: (402) 768-2147
- LOCATION: 110 9th St. Belvidere, NE
Open Sundays and Wednesdays from 2:00PM-4:00PM or by appointment.