HISTORY OF WAYNE
WAYNE CO., NEBRASKA

The first settlers to this part of Nebraska 
arrived in the spring of 1869 from Lee county IL and
were joined by a second group in 1870. The prairie 
village of Wayne, however did not see its beginnings
until 1881, when the Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis and
Omaha Railroad extended a line through the county,
linking Norfolk and Sioux City.

Originally named "Brookdale" by railroad officials
the settlers persuaded them to rename it "Wayne" for
General Anthony Wayne of Revolutionary War fame, for
whom the county had been named.

The first house was built in 1881. Nearly all the 
main street buildings were shacks covered with tar paper.
The tracks into town had been laid on frozen ground that
fall. The Trains had to move so slowly over the uneven 
rails that some people walked 20 miles to Emerson to 
save the $8 fare. (They felt they could make equally
as good a time as the train!) When spring arrived and 
the road bed leveled out, trains proved to be the 
inducement for which many had moved to the new town.

The first county seat was LaPorte (1870-82).
When the railroad missed that settlement, voters
petitioned to have the seat of government moved. A
bitter contest ensued. In the election held in 1882,
Wayne won by a substantial margin. Many homes and 
business's were hauled or sledded overland to Wayne
and the town of LaPorte was abandoned.

After a major fire destroyed six buildings on
main street in 1894, a fire department was organized.
Telephone service started in 1897 and a power plant
was built in 1898, giving only evening service at
first.

The city hall (now the fire station) and a 
library were built in 1912. Main street was paved
in 1920, the first of many brick streets for which
the town is noted. During the Depression, federal
funds financed the building of the post office and
auditorium.

The center of community activities in early
days was the opera house, built in 1889. Show 
troupes from back east, local plays, band concerts
and campaign speeches, provided cultural enrichment
and entertainment.

Wayne county's first newspaper started in 1875 
at LaPorte and moved to Wayne when the county seat 
did. For a time, three newspapers were published.
Today a semi-weekly (Wayne-Herald) can trace its
beginnings back to those early publications.

The desire to provide opportunities for
higher learning prompted efforts to found a 
college. a Lutheran academy was established in 1887, 
but closed in 1889. Interest continued, so with 
the help of a number of local citizens, Professor 
J M Pile opened the Nebraska Normal College in 1891.
This marked the beginning of what is now Wayne State
College. From one small building and seven students,
the college has grown to a 127 acre campus, a faculty
of 151, support staff of 100 and 2,876 students.

By 1940 Wayne's population was 2,719. During
the war the municipal airport and hangar were 
completed as part of the defense effort. Industry
began its emerging role in the late 1960's with an
industrial park. companies now manufacture and ship 
refrigerated trailers, modular homes, bank components
athletic training equipment, waterbed mattress pads
and pillows and farm equipment, all over the United 
States.

Wayne now has 5,280 residents. A hospital 
built in 1935 was replaced in 1974 and has the 
services of five doctors. There are 15 churches,
an AM/FM radio station, an 18 hole golf course and 
a swimming pool.

Since its very beginning, Wayne citizens have 
worked to develop a good balance between agriculture,
education, and industry, providing a stable 
environment for all three.

By Loretta Tompkins, Wayne County Historical Society,
420 Dougals, Wayne, NE 68787. Edited by Jane Graff,
Seward NE.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: HIstory of Wayne County, 1938, 
by Dorothy Huse Nyberg; Wayne County Nebraska History,
1981, sponsored by the Wayne County Historical Society.

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Copyright © 2006
Donna Shufelt
Kathie Harrison
Wayne Co., NEGenWeb Project