Howard County, Nebraska

Howard County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Saint Paul
Year Organized: 1871
Square Miles: 570

Court House:

612 Indian, P.O. Box 25
County Courthouse
Saint Paul, NE 68873-0025

Etymology - Origin of County Name

The name was selected to honor Civil War Gen. Oliver Otis Howard.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

The roots of Howard County can be traced back to a pair of government surveyors. After years of surveying throughout the country, J.N and N.J Paul became interested in the central part of Hall County. At the urging of the Pauls, the Legislature adopted an act in March 1871 to divide Hall County and establish boundaries for a new county to be called Howard. The name was selected to honor Civil War Gen. Oliver Otis Howard.

As the 1870s progressed, Howard County began to grow. Settlers coming to the area were said to be young, well-educated, adventurous Easterners seeking to make their fortune in "The Great American Desert."

The first permanent settlement in the county was made by the Pauls in the spring of 1871. When it came time to name the settlement, N.J. Paul suggested Athens. A petition was sent to the Postal Department in Washington for the establishment of a post office called Athens in the settlement. The petition was returned because there was already a post office by that name in the state. Phineas W. Hitchcock, and US senator from Nebraska, suggested the name of Saint Paul, in honor of the settlement's founders. It became St. Paul and eventually the county seat.

As with most county seats, the courthouse in St. Paul was the focal point of the community. When the cornerstone was laid for the building on June 5, 1913, an all-day celebration was planned. It included a parade, ball games, races, fireworks, speeches and ceremonies. It was estimated that more than 6,000 people attended the celebration. The three-story Bedford stone "pride" of St. Paul still serves the residents Howard County today and in 1988 a 75th anniversary celebration was observed.

Over the years the courthouse has been home to more than just county offices, a jail and the courtrooms. At one time the community's public library was located on the third floor and the Grand Army of the Republic once occupied one of the first floor rooms. In return, the latter agreed to build a monument on the front lawn of the courthouse in honor of veterans of the Civil War. The monument still stands today.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Cotesfield	village	Incorporated Area
- Cushing	village	Incorporated Area
- Dannebrog	village	Incorporated Area
- Elba	village	Incorporated Area
- Farwell	village	Incorporated Area
- Howard City	village	Incorporated Area
- St. Paul (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."