Seward County, Nebraska

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

County Seat: Seward
Year Organized: 1867
Square Miles: 575

Court House:

529 Seward St, P.O. Box 190
County Courthouse
Seward, NE 68434-0190

Etymology - Origin of County Name

The original name given to the county was Greene, after a Gen. Greene of Missouri. But when the Civil War broke out Gen. Greene joined the Confederacy so on Jan. 3, 1862, members of the Territorial Legislature voted to rename the county in honor of William A. Seward, Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

The boundaries of what today is Seward County were defined by the Territorial Legislature on Jan. 26, 1856. The original name given to the county was Greene, after a Gen. Greene of Missouri. But when the Civil War broke out Gen. Greene joined the Confederacy so on Jan. 3, 1862, members of the Territorial Legislature voted to rename the county in honor of William A. Seward, Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln.

County organization began in 1865, but it was not until 1871 that a county seat was selected. The townsites of Seward, Milford and Camden each sought this honor. As can best be determined, the "election" that followed was simply a matter of "Seward, yea or nay." To quell any objections to the "election," a frame building was quickly put up to serve as a courthouse.

A unique part of Seward County's history was the development of the present courthouse and the benefactors who contributed to it.

As the number of county records accumulated, it became apparent that a larger fireproof building was needed. Several times between 1879 and 1900 the idea was proposed, but each time it failed due to the anticipated cost. In 1900, Lewis Moffitt, who owned the land on which the city of Seward is located, died. Moffitt's will stated that upon the death of his wife, Mary, his land should be sold and the money be used to build a courthouse and jail at a cost of not less than $100,000.

By 1904 a campaign was well under way to build the courthouse that Moffitt had envisioned. On Sept. 20, 1905, the cornerstone was laid amid a festive celebration that attracted what was estimated at between 8,000 and 10,000 people. As construction progressed there were numerous suggestions on how the county could show its appreciation to the Moffitts. Some even suggested renaming the county in their honor. It was ultimately decided that a plaque honoring the Moffitts be installed inside the courthouse. In 1980 the impressive building and tree-lined courthouse square that were the result of Moffitt's early vision celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Beaver Crossing	village	Incorporated Area
- Bee	village	Incorporated Area
- Cordova	village	Incorporated Area
- Garland	village	Incorporated Area
- Goehner	village	Incorporated Area
- Milford	city	Incorporated Area
- Pleasant Dale	village	Incorporated Area
- Seward (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Staplehurst	village	Incorporated Area
- Utica	village	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."