HISTORY of HOSKINS
WAYNE COUNTY

My grandfather, Franz Puls, emigrated to America 
in 1869 from Donop, Germany. He named the Post office, 
located in his home, for that village. Mail came as far 
as Stanton, and was carried from there on foot. In 1881 
when the railroad was extended from Norfolk to Wayne, a 
town was established and the name changed to "Hoskins," 
for a grain dealer who was also a member of the Land 
Company. The coming of the railroad signaled a time of 
great expansion and growth.

Wm. Sonneken and David Rees established a general 
store, and John Crosby started a bank. Grandpa Puls 
discovered good clay near his farm on Spring Branch 
Creek and became a brick maker. With the help of his 
sons he built a kiln with a tall chimney, to provide 
the draft to make a very hot fire. Buffalo and cow 
chips were used for fuel. (They baked bread in the 
kiln as it cooled down.) Their large brick home, built 
in 1882, is currently being occupied by Puls' great 
grandson.

Engine No.43, the first train to steam into town 
over the newly laid rails in 1882, was fired by another 
grandfather, Peter Brummels. He and his wife Augusta had 
homesteaded in Wayne County in 1868.

School district 3 organized west of Hoskins in 
1877 with five beginners, all different ages. The 
school later expanded to meet the needs of the growing 
community. There are currently four teachers and about 
50 students attending the public school and nearly 30 
attending the Lutheran parochial school. 

An Evangelical Church was organized in 1878. The 
Peace Reformed Church established in 1881. Later a 
Methodist Church was established, serving until 1920. 
Lutheran services were held in homes until a church 
was built in 1887. Zion Lutheran organized northwest 
of Hoskins in 1902. Trinity Lutheran was dedicated 
in 1970.

From 1910 to 1920 Hoskins had two banks, a 
newspaper, the "Hoskins Head Light," and nearly two 
dozen businesses and shops. Doc Averill's wife had a 
millinery shop with a unique bookkeeping system. 
After trimming a hat, she wrote the customer's name 
and charge on a slip of paper and pinned it to the 
curtain in the window. Her husband would collect the 
fee and tabulate the days business. The hat business 
was excellent in those days.

Early in 1899 a committee (Weatherholt, Rohrke, 
Kautz, Ziemer and Swanson)was appointed to look into 
the matter of incorporating the town. With the required 
200 residents already living in Hoskins, an election 
was slated for February 7th. Clerk Wm. Zutz, Terasurer 
C. F. Lenz, Marshal A.T. Waddell, and Justice of the 
Peace Ludwig Ziemer all served without compensation. 
They served until the first election in the "Village of 
Hoskins" on April 1.
 
Duly organized, ordinances were set up and action 
initiated:
------street vendors and peddlers were to be taxed. 
------the vilage was to be surveyed again, this time 
by A.L.Houser.
------a special meeting was called to discuss a jail. 
The report included 
      "how to build a jail."
------a committee was appointed to locate a dam and 
engine on the creek to supply water in case of fire.

In 1912 the people wanted a modern water system, 
so a committee decided on a high tower tank. Additional 
construction was needed, but the Norfolk Bridge Company 
completed the job in 1921 at a cost of $3,773. 

The town was lighted by gas lamps prior to 1916, 
when a power plant was built and run by Fred Miller.

Wetzlich Hall, used for school plays and dances, 
was where the town board meetings and court were held 
for many years. Bruce Pavilion, a popular dance hall 
built in the 1920's was located at the north end of town. 
Lawrence Welk and his orchestra played there many times.

Hoskins, a baseball town went to the state 
tournament in the 1930's. The playing field, in the 
north part of town, had floodlights. The team's best 
year was during the height of the depression, in 1933. 
The team disbanded during the war years of the 1940's. 
A softball association was formed in 1955. 

Hoskins, less than 10 miles from Norfolk, has a 
current population of over 300. The 40 member volunteer 
fire department and rescue unit serve the community, 
NUCOR steel plant, and Woodland Park Housing Development.

Story by Laura Puls Ulrich. Shirley Mann, Coordinator, 
Box 14, Hoskins, NE 68740. Edited by Jane Graff, Seward, NE.
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Copyright © 2006
Donna Shufelt
Kathie Harrison
Wayne Co., NEGenWeb Project