UNION PRECINCT

Pastor Neeff announced a membership of over 200. St. John's congregation decided to build a new church at the cost of $4,600. The new edifice was dedicated in May of 1902, exactly a year after the organization of the congregation.

St. John's Evangelial Lutheran Church, Yutan

   For the following decade, the work of the congregation progressed with enthusiasm, and growth was evident. On March 23, 1913, disaster struck on a pleasant Easter Sunday. The weather had been mild and spring-like during the day. About 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon there was some lightning and thunder accompanied by a gentle rain. At 5:30, a tornado cloud, which in a short time destroyed more than a third of the town of Yutan, appeared in the southwest. Nineteen people were killed. Many were severely injured; churches, homes, and other buildings were damaged and destroyed. The pleasant Easter Sunday had suddenly become a day of horror, weeping, and sorrow for the surviving residents of the peaceful community.

   The tornado by-passed the parsonage, but the church building was struck and severely damaged. The tower of the building was completely destroyed as were the buildings behind the parsonage. The church was quickly rebuilt, and on August 24 of the same year it was ready for the service of rededication. About three years later on May 31, 1916, the church was struck by lightning. The steeple and church were severely damaged. Costly repairs were quickly made.

Interior of St. John's Church, Yutan

   In 1926, the church was remodeled, redecorated, partly refurnished, and was moved to its present location. Four years later a new parsonage was built; and in 1969, the congregation purchased another parsonage allowing the old building to be converted into an educational building for Sunday Church School and confirmation classes. In 1973, the congregation purchased a three-acre tract in the Carlson Heights to be used as a site for the future St. John's Church.

   The celebration of the 75th anniversary in 1976 was an exciting event in the life of St. John's. New goals have been set, and the members of St. John's are in 1982 striving actively to reach and accomplish these in ways that exemplify witnessing and working in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

   St. Peter's Church in Yutan started out as part of the German Reformed Church of North America. The early settlers of the community were mostly of German and Swiss origin and wanted the same type of church which they had attended in their homeland.

   Reverend Frederick Hullhorst was called to be the first pastor of the church; he purchased 40 acres of land at Headland, about 3 miles southeast of the present site of Yutan, and built a home. (The stagecoach line ran from Fremont to Ashland in those days and the postoffice at Headland was on that route.) But the Omaha and Republican Railroad was being extended from Omaha to Lincoln, and had platted a townsite at Clear Creek (later re-named Yutan) and had donated land for a church. Rev. Hullhorst then bought land next to the church lots, and with the help of his parishioners rebuilt a home within the townsite. Mr. Hullhorst was pastor of the church for 34 years, from 1873 to 1907.

   For several years the congregation met in homes, and later in a one-room school house. The corner stone for the church was finally laid in March of 1880, and the structure was completed in the autumn of 1882. Also in 1882 the name of the town was changed from Clear Creek to Yutan, based on the name of Chief Itan of the Otoe-Missouri Indians. Rev. Hullhorst was serving on the Town Board at that time and suggested the name Yutan.

German Reformed Church and Parsonage in 1908 and first car in Yutan driven by Dr. Frederick Hullhorst

   On March 23, 1913, the church was destroyed by a tornado, as were the other 3 churches in Yutan. The congregation voted to rebuild and the new building was dedicated in November, 1913. The pulpit, pews, and organ were undamaged so this furniture was re-installed in the new church.

   In 1934, the Reformed Church of North America and the Evangelical Church of the United States merged on a national basis to become the Evangelical and Reformed Church, and St. Peter's Church became a part of that merger.

   For about 40 years (1908-1942) the church parsonage stood on the hill east of town, approximately 3/4 of a mile from the church. This was sold in 1942 and the church was served by non-resident pastors. Then in 1954 the Hullhorst property next door to the church became available and was purchased by the congregation. The house was renovated, and the church was served by two resident pastors for several years. The house was then rented for several more years. On January 4, 1979, this parsonage was gutted by fire and considered beyond repair. That summer it was bulldozed into the cellar and the area was planted with grass.

United Church of Christ, Yutan

   In 1957, St. Peter's became part of another merger when the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational-Christian Churches joined together to form the United Church of Christ. This was advantageous for the Yutan Church because it was not part of a one-state organization with the Conference Office in Lincoln, only 40 miles away.

   In 1983, St. Peter's congregation in Yutan will be celebrating 110 years of existence. During those years many people have given of their time, talent, and treasure to the church. Special observances were held at the church for the 60th, 75th, and 100th anniversaries; and preparations are being made to observe the 110th anniversary. A membership directory is being printed for the occasion. Membership at the present time is about one hundred.

   In 1982, a ramp was constructed to the front entrance of the church to help those who find steps difficult.

   The church has been served through the years by about 25 pastors. It is now being served by Rev. Stephen Gettinger; he and his wife, Lyn, and daughters, Meg and Joanna, have lived here for almost two years. Submitted by Mrs. Hubert H. (Neva) Peters

   Easter Sunday, March 23, 1913, dawned bright and clear. But as the day advanced atmospheric conditions changed; by noon it became unseasonably warm. Later in the afternoon the sky became overcast and there were flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder. About 5 o'clock it started to rain, and heavy, clouds rolled in with almost gale-like winds. A funnel-shaped cloud appeared in the southwest. Some people who were watching the storm ran to their cellars, but many people were just sitting down to supper.

   The tornado struck at 5:27 p.m. It cut a swathe of destruction from 3 to 5 blocks wide in the western edge of the town. Nineteen persons were killed, 22 houses were destroyed, and 20 others were damaged. Although the business section was not hit, some of the business places were moved from their foundations and the front of a drug store was blown off. The water tower was struck and leveled making for a very difficult situation since fires were beginning to break out where base-burners and stoves had overturned. Fortunately about 9 o'clock men discovered that the pump was still in working order so firemen were able to put out some of the fires before the fire departments of neighboring towns arrived.

   It took only a few minutes for the tornado to create havoc. When the roar of storm was over able-bodied men and women rushed out to see what they could do for the injured. The storm had been freakish, -- men, women, and children had been hurled through the air, some for several hundred feet; some escaped practically unhurt, others were unconscious, and others had broken bones; and there were 19 dead. Almost every home and every family

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had been touched in some way or another by the tornado.

Tornado wrecked water tower in Yutan, Mar. 23, 1913

   Telegraph messages were sent to Lincoln, Wahoo, and Ashland, and help arrived from these towns before midnight. Doctors arrived to treat the injured. A morgue was set up in a furniture store. The four most severely injured persons were put on a train and sent to Lincoln.

   When the sun rose on Monday, the 24th, people looked around at the devastation and wondered if the town could ever recover from the tragedy. But help was sent in by the Red Cross, neighboring towns sent in food and clothing, and assistance was given to the most needy for rebuilding their homes.

   All four churches were badly damaged or totally destroyed. Only 2 were rebuilt, -- St. Peter's Reformed Church and St. John's Lutheran Church. Both had been rebuilt in 1913 and both are still standing today.

   Now, after 70 years, the tornado of 1913 is ancient history but it was a very important event in the lives of the people who lived through it. For many years it was a measurement of time, -- "before the tornado", -- "after the tornado". And there are people still living who can recall how a day that started out so bright and cheery turned into desolation and heartbreak for many.

   Easter Sunday, March 23, 1913, dawned bright and clear. It was so warm that we hunted our Easter eggs outdoors. In the afternoon Papa had to go to the postoffice to put out mail that came on the 3 and 4 o'clock trains. We four girls and our mother walked to a friend's house about ½ mile east of town. I can still remember how very uncomfortable I was with heavy underwear and long black stockings, but no matter how warm it was nobody changed from winter underwear in March.

Actual Tornado March 23, 1913

   Papa came about 5 o'clock to have coffee and walk home with us. But the sky was getting ugly; there were heavy clouds in the southwest with occasional rolls of thunder and flashes of lightning. Papa decided against coffee and insisted on us starting home at once. We arrived home safely and had supper on the table when the storm hit. The kitchen door flew open and both of my parents ran to close it.

   I grabbed my 3-year-old sister's hand and remember nothing more until I found myself, still holding her hand, climbing over mountains of rubbish. I had a gash in my forehead and my arm was bleeding. It was dark and raining. The only light came from fires breaking out in homes where stoves and baseburners had overturned. We finally reached a house that had not been struck by the tornado. Many people were there, my father was laid out on the floor with several other dead; my mother was seriously injured. My 6-year-old sister was found and brought to the same house.

   Suddenly someone announced that another storm was coming and that we should find other shelter. With my small sisters, Laverta and Eleanor, holding each of my hands, I and several other children started out in the pitch black night. We wound up in a corn field where our local grocer found us and took us to his home. Much later a doctor came and bandaged my head and arm.

   My 8-year-old sister Viola, whose hip had been broken, had been taken to an uncle's home. The hip had been set there, and while she was still under sedation, Viola was put on a train and taken to a Lincoln hospital. She learned of our parent's deaths when a nurse told the story to some visitors at the hospital.

   My mother died of lockjaw 2 weeks after the tornado. A day that began so cheery left us bereft of both parents, -- a very tragic event in our lives. For awhile each of four girls lived with a different relative. Then our Aunt Reka Hirsch came from California and said that she would make a home so that we could all live together again. Our home was rebuilt and we were all reunited under one roof. We felt a deep sense of gratitude to Aunt Reka for making this possible. Gladys Starmann Kuhr, Ceresco, Nebraska

I looked across the prairies wide,
and thought of ancestors with pride;
how with the faith and work-worn hand
was carved, our country, from this land.

Now, what have we done with this place;
how have we used this boundless space?
It's sad to see how man laid waste
and ripped up roots in thoughtless haste.

May such slashed soil, then once laid bare,
come back to life with love and care.
God grant us that this may be so,
that grass and trees return, will grow.

   Copyright, 1982 -- Used with permission of Eden May Hoevet Klumpp

Yutan Hoot-N-Nanny 1979

   The Yutan Community Club sponsored the first Hoot-N-Nanny in 1979 as a club fund raiser for community projects. The talents of Verona Trost and Joann Shivley who put the show together, using local talent and friends from other areas, has made the show a great success. The show was performed again on March 18 and 19, 1983. The show is well attended and enjoyed by people from miles away. The show includes skits by local club groups and plenty of music. Submitted by Lester Zwiebel

1936 Blizzard on Hwy. 92

"All Star Wedding" Presented by the Yutan Volunteer Fire Dept. in 1952

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