Last week I started to report on an internet search I had conducted trying to pinpoint the location of a Warwick community mentioned in the Nebraska news column published in an 1884 Nuckolls County newspaper.
In addition to Warwick, Kansas, located in Republic County, not far from Hardy, the internet sources gave two locations within Nuckolls County for a community called Warwick Junction
In case you didn’t read or don’t remember last week’s column, let me review a bit of that column before charging into this week’s entries.
One internet source indicated Warwick Junction was on the B&M Railroad 1.2 miles from the Nuckolls County Fairgrounds. With stations at Superior, Smyrna and Nelson, why was there the need for a station about two miles south of Nelson? Sometimes a big shipper or the junction of multiple rail lines warranted stations be placed in close proximity, but I am not aware of such features south of the fairgrounds.
Another internet source indicated Warwick Junction was a station on the CB&Q railroad near Hardy and not to be confused with Warwick, Kansas, which was located just across the stateline on a different railroad. I understand why the CB&Q railroad, hoping to capitalize on Warwick, Kansas, business may have had a siding across the stateline in Nebraska. When the CB&Q was converting from steam to a diesel power, it had a refueling station east of Hardy on the Kansas side of the line. Not sure why but I suspect the placement of the tanks was related to the price of fuel.
But that may not have been Warwick Station for the Nebraska Genealogy Society, also listed Stateline as a Nuckolls County railroad station along the Kansas-Nebraska stateline.
After discussing the possible locations of Warwick, Nebraska, I decided to reprint a portion of the information the genealogy society provided about Nuckolls County communities. However, I had room for only a portion and promised to continue the report at another time. That time is now and the following was left out of last week’s column. If you need to reread last week’s column, it is available on the internet at www:superiorne.com or we have copies of last week’s paper for sale at the newspaper office. And now the rest of the story.
Irving post office established August of 1885, name changed to Bostwick in November of 1885.
Keithleys was a former station on the Missouri Pacific railroad.
Lawrence’s peak population (1930) was 528. Post office established in February of 1887. A Baptist church organized in 1880, Methodist in 1887, Catholic in 1893. Lawrence newspapers available on microfilm from April 1896 to December 2000.
Liberty was the first name for Saint Stephen.
Mill Spur was a former railroad station and locality along the Little Blue River.
Mount Clare’s peak population (1920) 131. Post office established February of 1889, discontinued in 1945. The village, first known as Arnsberg, was established in 1877. A Methodist church was organized in the 1890s.
Nelson’s peak population (1910) was 978. Post office established January of 1874. Nelson was elected Nuckolls county seat in 1872. A Baptist church organized in 1878, Presbyterian in 1878, Church of Christ in 1878, Methodist in 1879. Nelson newspapers available on microfilm from May, 1884 to June, 2001. Nelson is also a precinct located in central Nuckolls County.
Nora’s peak population (1920) was 130. Post office established May of 1878. Nora was incorporated in 1918. Methodist church built in 1882. Also a precinct in central Nuckolls County.
Oak’s peak population (1910) was 237. In 1856 E. S. Comstock established a stage station on the Oregon Trail two miles east of the present site of Oak. Post office established June of 1874. Nuckolls County school district No. 1 was organized in Oak in 1871. A Baptist church was organized in 1878, a United Brethren in 1890 and a Methodist in 1891. Oak is located in Elk Precinct. Oak newspapers published September 1897 to June 1920.
Oak Grove was Pony Express station number 7 in Nebraska. It was located two miles east of Oak. Oak Grove village grew up around a mill on the south side of the Little Blue River. When the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad came through, the village moved to its present location and became Oak.
Ox Bow post office established in October of 1873, name changed to Angus in December of 1886. A flour mill was located on the Little Blue River.
Riverton was first name of Superior. The name lasted only a short time.
Rosa was a former station on the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.
Ruskin’s peak population (1920) was 360. Post office name changed from Henrietta in June of 1887. A Rock Island Railroad depot was built in 1886. A Danish Evangelical Lutheran church was organized south of town in 1883, Presbyterian church in 1889 and a Church of Christ in 1905. Ruskin newspapers available on microfilm from November 1900 to June 1973.
Saint Stephen peak population (1880) was 18. Settlement first named Liberty, then named Beachamville until 1882. In 1882 the village had a post office, drug store, three general stores, a blacksmith and a Catholic Church. Also a precinct in west-central Nuckolls County bordering on Webster County.
Schell post office established June of 1883, discontinued February of 1887. Joseph T. Schell was the first postmaster. Was located in the northwest corner of the county.
Sedan’s peak population (1950) was 35. Coy post office was renamed Sedan in September of 1906 and discontinued in 1953. Located in the extreme northeast corner of Nuckolls County in Hammond precinct.
Sherman is a precinct in north-central Nuckolls County bordering on Clay County.
Smyrna’s peak population (1900) was 58. Post office established in February of 1887, discontinued January of 1913. Platted in 1886, a few miles north of Superior in Highland precinct. Salem Lutheran Church established in September 1899 is all that remains.
Spring Creek is a precinct in east-central Nuckolls County bordering on Thayer County.
Spring Valley post office established in March of 1875, name changed to Hardy in June 1880. It was located one mile west of present Hardy.
Stateline was a former railroad station located on the Kansas-Nebraska border.
Superior’s peak population (1950) was 3,227. Post office established in October of 1872. Town platted in 1875. Largest town in Nuckolls County. Methodist church organized in 1878, Presbyterian in 1879, Baptist in 1880, Covenantor Presbyterian in 1881, Catholic in 1900.
Valley Home was a former station on the Missouri Pacific Railroad near Superior.
Vernon contended for the county seat in 1872, but did not last long enough to establish a post office.
Victor is a precinct in northwest Nuckolls County bordering on Clay and Webster counties. Lawrence is located in this precinct.
Warwick Spur was a former station on the CB&Q railroad near Hardy. Warwick, Kansas, was located just across the state line.
Afrer reading through all the above information and the information printed last week, I have more questions and no new answers.
Not only did the sources not confirm the location of a Warwick, Nebraska, the information did not mention the town of Oak Leaf. Recently the Federal Emergency Management Agency published in the Nuckolls County Locomotive-Gazette a flood plain notice for a community of Oak Leaf and since then has asked about publishing another notice for Oak Leaf in The Superior Express. If you want to know where Oak Leaf is, you better ask FEMA for I have no idea but apparently FEMA is worried about what a flood would do to that community.
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