39 topographic sheets cover 21 settlements here, and 20 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources tell 1 story and name 1 person · people the book names include I.Ibeuty District Tragedy (Juniata Township, 1916) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: I.Ibeuty District Tragedy. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
man of the district, was killed. Irvin Faribee, another youngman of the district, was paying court to Young's sister. Belle Young, and bad feeling was aroused between the two young men at a charivari held in the neighborhood and Young forbade Faribee to keep company with his sister. All the parties concerned were high spirited Kentuckians and young Faribee paid no heed to Young's warning.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioch School | building | 88000914 | ||
 | William Brach House | building | 1979 | 79001429 |
 | Burlington Station | building | 1978 | 78001693 |
| Central Hastings Historic District | district | 2003 | 03000795 | |
 | Chautauqua Pavilion | structure | 1978 | 78001692 |
 | Clarke Hotel | building | 1987 | 87002094 |
 | Farrell Block | building | 1979 | 79001430 |
 | Foote Clinic | building | 2016 | 16000104 |
 | Hastings Brewery Building and Bottling Works | building | 2015 | 15000391 |
 | Hastings College | district | 2017 | 100001393 |
| Hastings Downtown Historic District | district | 2018 | 100003090 | |
| Hastings Masonic Temple | building | 2024 | 100010947 | |
 | Hastings Municipal Airport Hangar-Building No. 1 | building | 2005 | 05000722 |
| Heartwell Park Historic District | district | 2000 | 00000168 | |
 | McCormick Hall | building | 1975 | 75001086 |
 | Nebraska Loan and Trust Company Building | building | 1979 | 79001431 |
 | Nowlan-Dietrich House | building | 1979 | 79001432 |
 | St. Mark's Episcopal Pro-Catherdral | building | 1987 | 87002086 |
 | Stein Brothers Building | building | 1979 | 79001433 |
 | Victory Building | building | 1987 | 86003379 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 63 of them, burning about 651 acres. None started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 32 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2020 | Debris and open burning | 187 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 16 January 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 127 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 20 May 2013 | Debris and open burning | 60 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 3 March 2012 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 12 March 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 18 April 1998 | Smoking | 40 acres | Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District | WESEMAN |
| 3 November 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 29 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 793 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 27 injuries and about $147,381,060 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 401 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 266 |
| Tornado | 56 |
| Heavy Rain | 38 |
| Flash Flood | 13 |
| Flood | 9 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 |
| Lightning | 2 |
| Strong Wind | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1964 | Tornado (F5) | not stated | 2 killed, 20 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Lightning | Hastings | 2 hurt, $19,000,000 | Investigators with the Nebraska State Fire Marshals Office determined that lightning was the cause of a very large fire that completely destroyed the Cooperative Producers Inc. Dry Fertilizer Facility. This facility opened in July 2018, and was located just east of the intersection of Highway 6 and Showboat Road. Hastings Rural Fire District, along with firefighters from 4 other fire districts, helped contain the fire. The fire was contained by 3 AM CDT, but firefighters were on scene to address hotspots well into Friday. Two injuries were reported as a result of the fire, both injured parties were treated and released at a local hospital within hours of the fire. The injured parties were semi drivers on site at the time of the fire. Damage is estimated to be at least $5 million worth of product at the plant with a facility cost of $14 million. |
| June 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| June 1984 | Hail | not stated | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| June 1989 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Hastings | $40,000,000 | A super cell thunderstorm pummeled the Hastings area with baseball size hail, torrential rain and strong winds. The hail was as large as baseballs, and was reported anywhere from about 10 miles south of Hastings to 5 miles north of Hastings. Damage was widespread throughout the central part of the county. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Hastings | $12,000,000 | There were several reports of hail ranging in size from golf balls to 2.5 inches in diameter all across the city of Hastings. This hail was accompanied by wind gusts exceeding 60 MPH, including a peak measured gust of 66 MPH at the Hastings Airport ASOS. Reports of damage across town included broken windows, siding damage, downed tree limbs, and power outages. |
| June 2022 | Hail | (Hsi)Hastings Arpt | $10,000,000 | Hail up to 2.25 inches in diameter was measured at the NWS Hastings office (four miles north of downtown), causing thousands of dollars of damage to the vehicles of employees working this severe weather event. Large hail mainly ranging in size from quarters to ping pong balls was reported all across Hastings. |
| May 2005 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $10,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Hail | Hastings | $5,000,000 | Half dollar to golf ball size hail was reported. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Holstein | $5,000,000 | Hail ranged from quarter to tennis ball size. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Juniata | $2,500,000 | Hail along and near this path ranged in size from quarters to baseballs. The entire city of Hastings experienced hail ranging in size from quarters to hen eggs, while the largest hail fell to the west-southwest of Hastings to a few miles south of Juniata. The NWS Hastings office located 4 miles north of downtown reported half dollar size hail. |
| March 1985 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 1978 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Hsi)Hastings Arpt | $2,000,000 | A wind gust of 75 MPH was measured by the Hastings Airport ASOS. Wind gusts were estimated to be closer to 60 MPH by a NWS Employee on the far south-southeast side of Hastings. Emergency management reported power pole damage and downed power lines in the area of the intersection of 14th and Baltimore streets. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Ayr | $2,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Juniata | $1,800,000 | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Roseland | $1,500,000 | This tornado touched down about 3 miles south of Roseland, clipping the east side of town before lifting just north-northeast of town. This tornado was rated an EF1, with an estimated peak wind speed of 110 MPH. The most widespread damage from this tornado was on the east side of town, and while several homes and outbuildings sustained damage, 2 sustained considerable damage. One of those homes slide from its foundation and another lost its entire roof structure. A large metal building with wood post frame construction was destroyed and tree damage was widespread throughout town. The tornado traveled just a few hundred feet east of Silver Lake School. |
| June 2009 | Hail | (Hsi)Hastings Arpt | $1,500,000 | Quarter to hen egg size hail was reported. |
| August 2019 | Hail | (Hsi)Hastings Arpt | $1,250,000 | Copious amounts of hail up to half dollar size was reported near the Hastings Airport. Accompanied by wind gusts near 70 to 75 MPH, this hail shredded area trees, crops and gardens, and damaged house siding, in and near the west side of Hastings. Hail drifts were still visible in/near west Hastings hours after the storm passed. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Juniata | $1,000,000 | A 76 MPH wind gust was measured by the Hastings Airport ASOS at 2:59 AM CDT. Wind gusts were estimated to be near 70 to 75 MPH along this path. A light helicopter was blown over at the Hastings Airport. Quarter to half dollar size hail was also reported near the airport, which combined with intense winds to shred trees, crops and gardens, and damage house siding, in and near the west side of Hastings. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Kenesaw | $1,000,000 | Quarter size hail was accompanied by wind gusts estimated to be near 60 MPH. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Holstein | $1,000,000 | Wind gusts were estimated to be at least 70 MPH. Area crops were shredded by the combination of these winds and small hail. A large tree limb of 10 inches in diameter was downed west of Roseland. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kenesaw | $1,000,000 | Wind gusts were estimated to be at least 60 MPH. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Ayr | $1,000,000 | A tornado traveled a 7 mile path in southeast Adams county and produced some damage, mainly to center pivot systems. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Ayr | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Hastings | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | (Hsi)Hastings Arpt | $750,000 | Hail up to the size of golf balls was observed at the NWS Hastings office (four miles north of downtown) and likely occurred northeast of Juniata based on radar and surrounding reports. This hail was accompanied by wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH. Vehicle damage was reported at the NWS Hastings office. Several homes northeast of Juniata had broken windows from the wind-driven hail. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Hsi)Hastings Arpt | $750,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH were observed at the NWS Hastings office, located four miles north of Hastings, and likely occurred northeast of Juniata based on radar and surrounding reports. This wind was accompanied by hail up to the size of golf balls. Vehicle damage was reported at the NWS Hastings office. Several homes northeast of Juniata had broken windows from the wind-driven hail. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Hastings | $750,000 | Hail to the size of softballs was reported on the north side of town. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Holstein | $500,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in a grain bin being blown across the road. Overturned pivots were also reported in the area. |
| December 2021 | Hail | Hastings | $500,000 | Wind-driven hail up to quarter size caused siding, fence, and roof damage. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Pauline | $500,000 | A tornado sat down south of Pauline and traveled northeast. It crossed into Clay county to the east of Pauline. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Ayr | $400,000 | A short-lived EF1 tornado moved east along and north of Silver Lake Road in far southern Adams County, just northwest of Blue Hill. This tornado had an estimated peak wind speed of 95 MPH based upon damage to a large outbuilding at one farmstead. The tornado damaged two center-pivot irrigation systems before hitting a farmstead. At the farmstead, the main damage was a to a large wood-framed, metal building, including blowing out the door and the back wall. Tree damage was widespread across the northern part of the farmstead. Down the road a mile or so, the tornado destroyed a lean-to shed on an old barn. Horses inside the barn were also injured. The tornado lifted shortly thereafter. Surrounding the tornado path, especially to the north and west, there were several pockets of sporadic straight-line wind damage, with gusts exceeding 70 MPH. Damage in this path included to trees, several center-pivot irrigation systems, and the destruction of an old barn at another farmstead. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Holstein | $400,000 | Emergency management reported irrigation pivots flipped and a damaged grain bin near Holstein. |
| October 2013 | Heavy Rain | Juniata | $400,000 | A rainfall total of 6.35 inches occurred. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Prosser | $400,000 | no account filed |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF1) | Ayr | $350,000 | This tornado touched down in Webster County and lifted north into Adams County. This intermittent tornado path started west of Blue Hill, with damage including some irrigation pipe strewn into a tree line, and some tree damage a few miles west of town. As the tornado moved northeast, more pivots were overturned. The maximum wind gust was estimated to be 100 MPH, based upon the snapping of power poles southeast of Ayr. Spotters saw the tornado west of Glenvil, where it upset another pivot before lifting. |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F2) | Kenesaw | $300,000 | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roseland | $250,000 | Wind gusts were estimated to be 70 to 80 MPH along a path running approximately 1 to 2 miles south of the tornado path. Most of the damage noted was to trees and irrigation pivots, with a grain bin and a power line also suffering damage. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Hsi)Hastings Arpt | $250,000 | Measured and estimated wind gusts exceeding 60 MPH were reported in and around Hastings. A peak wind gust of 71 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles east-southeast of Hastings. Other wind gusts included: 71 MPH measured by a mesonet station located two miles north of Hastings; 65 MPH measured by the Hastings Airport ASOS; 60 MPH estimated by a NWS employee on the far southeast side of Hastings. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Holstein | $250,000 | This tornado touched down just inside Franklin County south of Campbell, moved through northwestern Webster County and into southern Adams County. As this tornado tracked northeast, some power poles, and irrigation pivot, and an outbuilding were damaged east of Campbell. Once it crossed into Adams County, a few more pivots were tipped and a home sustained minor damage. The maximum wind gust was estimated to be 85 MPH. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pauline | $250,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be between 60 and 65 MPH lasted for approximately 20 minutes. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Hastings | $250,000 | Quarter to hen egg size hail was reported. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Hastings | $250,000 | Golf ball size hail reported at Lake Hastings. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Hastings | $250,000 | Golf ball size hail was reported at the intersection of 14th and California. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | $250,000 | Winds of 60 to 70 mph battered the Hastings area for about 10 minutes. There were many reports of tree and minor structural damage. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Hastings | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1990 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 1990 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1975 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 2016 | Flash Flood | Holstein | $225,000 | Generally 3-7 inches of rain fell across mainly the southern third of Adams County. Extensive flooding ensued along the Little Blue River and its tributaries (including Ash Creek) and numerous rural county roads/bridges were flooded out/damaged, some of which remained barricaded for several days. The overall-worst flooding concentrated within south central parts of the county, including the Crystal Lake Recreation Area and campground located just north of Ayr along the Little Blue River. The Clay County Emergency Manager happened to be camping there that night and reported that the campground was flooding and that nearby Highway 281 was down to one lane in places. At the campground, extensive damage occurred to electrical boxes, buildings and picnic tables, and the park remained closed to the public for over two weeks before reopening in mid-September. |
| August 2016 | Flood | Holstein | $225,000 | Generally 3-7 inches of rain fell across mainly the southern third of Adams County. Extensive flooding ensued along the Little Blue River and its tributaries (including Ash Creek) and numerous rural county roads/bridges were flooded out/damaged, some of which remained barricaded for several days. The overall-worst flooding concentrated within south central parts of the county, including the Crystal Lake Recreation Area and campground located just north of Ayr along the Little Blue River. The Clay County Emergency Manager happened to be camping there that night and reported that the campground was flooding and that nearby Highway 281 was down to one lane in places. At the campground, extensive damage occurred to electrical boxes, buildings and picnic tables, and the park remained closed to the public for over two weeks before reopening in mid-September. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF1) | (Hsi)Hastings Arpt | $200,000 | This tornado touched down in far northeastern Adams County and continued into far southeastern Hall County. This tornado impacted three farmsteads. The maximum wind speed estimate of 100 MPH was based upon the collapse of an outbuilding at one farmstead. Partial roof loss was noted at one home, while another home had some superficial damage. Similar to other tornadoes, more irrigation pivots were overturned. The tornadic circulation probably crossed Highway 281 near the fuel supply facility south of Doniphan before lifting a mile or so south of Doniphan. Although there were no reported injuries, one family along North Marian Road had a fairly close call as their sport utility vehicle had several windows blown out of it only about one minute after they arrived home and sought shelter. |
| May 2020 | Flood | Holstein | $200,000 | Heavy rain around and upstream of this area resulted in flooding during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Widespread amounts of 3 to 6 inches fell, with much of the flooding affecting areas along the Little Blue River. Sandbagging was required in Holstein on the evening of the 22nd due to rising waters. Flooding affected the Crystal Lake Recreation Area near Ayr. All campers were evacuated, with flooding causing damage and a loss of revenue for the holiday weekend, totaling approximately 10,000 dollars. Numerous rural roads were damaged, and Highway 74 near Ayr was closed for a period of time due to debris becoming jammed under a bridge, causing water to rise over the road. The highway reopened during the late evening hours of May 23rd. Major damage to a BNSF trestle bridge was reported north of the Crystal Lake campground due to clogged water drainage and undermining. Flooding subsided on the 24th. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Hastings | $200,000 | Hail measured at the NWS office. |
| July 2002 | Hail | Kenesaw | $200,000 | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | $200,000 | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hastings | $150,000 | A 30 foot tall, 10 inch diameter tree was blown down on the far east side of Hastings. Also, a flag pole was blown down. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It still produces. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knox Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Past and Present of Adams County, Nebraska devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 3 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hastings City | Countryside Parks, Good Samaritan Village, Hastings, Kingswood Plaza | 6,040 words | 5 | |
| Juniata Township | Juniata | 5,233 words | 7 | |
| Kenesaw Township | Kenesaw | 6,063 words | 14 |
One book written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 26 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
Everyone Past and Present of Adams County, Nebraska stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1916.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
The vanished settlements of Adams County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
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