52 topographic sheets cover 45 settlements here, and 110 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
110 National Register listings published here, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks · the county-history sources tell 2 stories and name 13 people · people the book names include J. V. Cove (Lincoln City, 1916) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: Crimin.Al Cases; Eemarkable Growth And Improvements. 16&. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
Lincoln and Lancaster County have been remarkably free from brutal murders or complicated crimes, and resultant criminal trials, but there have been a few cases of this type which have attracted a great amount of attention. Perhaps the most notable of the murder cases in thecounty was known as the Sheedy case.
The growth of the city was so rapid that the wild animals of this region did not seem to appreciate the situation for several years, and failed to move westward away from civilization. Deer, wolves, and other wild animals, were captured within the present city limits as late as 1872, and Lincoln was a game and fur market for a nundjer of years later.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 357 of them, burning about 3,832 acres. 1 started naturally and 8 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 200 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 61 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 37 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 16 |
| Fireworks | 14 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 10 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 8 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 March 2014 | Smoking | 700 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 16 January 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 280 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 12 May 2018 | Smoking | 220 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 1 April 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 30 April 2007 | Debris and open burning | 120 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 12 March 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 4 May 2011 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 95 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 May 2017 | Debris and open burning | 84 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 965 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 50 injuries and about $220,545,710 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 497 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 334 |
| Tornado | 52 |
| Flash Flood | 49 |
| Lightning | 11 |
| Flood | 11 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 |
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 2004 | Tornado (F4) | Hallam | 1 killed, 30 hurt, $100,000,000 | See description below. |
| June 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 7 hurt | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Berks | 5 hurt, $3,410,000 | A severe thunderstorm moved through the northwest portion of Lancaster County, Nebraska, generating a swath of very strong winds on the morning of August 9th, 2025. The most intense wind report was an estimated gust of 100 mph from an emergency manager in Malcolm at 03:58 CST, which was associated with significant damage in the area, including snapped telephone poles holding the football field lights.||Widespread damaging wind gusts were observed or measured by multiple public and Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) stations, with several reporting wind speeds exceeding 80 mph. These included an 82 mph measured gust at the Lincoln Airport ASOS station 5 miles west-northwest of Lincoln, an 81 mph measured gust near Valparaiso, and an 84 mph measured gust east-southeast of Raymond.||The damaging winds resulted in noteworthy property damage across the impact area. Near Malcolm, an overturned camper led to five injuries, with two people transported for treatment. Substantial structural damage was also reported, including a law enforcement report of substantial roof damage to two buildings south-southwest of Lincoln, with winds estimated in the 80-90 mph range. Large trees were downed in multiple locations, including one over a foot in diameter falling on a parked vehicle north-northwest of Lincoln. Numerous other trees were snapped off near the ground southwest of Lincoln and south of Malcolm.||The total damage to public infrastructure in Lancaster County from this severe wind event is estimated to be $3,409,322.00. This figure reflects only the costs associated with repairing public assets and does not account for the extensive damage sustained by private and commercial properties throughout Saline County. |
| April 2024 | Tornado (EF3) | Havelock | 3 hurt | This tornado touched down on the northeast side of Lincoln near the intersection of Havelock Ave and 84th Street causing damage to a business and a large transmission line south of Havelock Ave. The tornado moved northeast through agricultural fields, snapping power poles and large trees while increasing in strength. The tornado hit a manufacturing plant at 98th Street and Highway 6 where 70 employees were sheltered. The plant received EF-3 damage. There was a complete failure of the roof and 3 walls of the plant. Employee cars sustained varying damage, with the worst being thrown at least 75-100 yards. Tree trunks were snapped northeast of this location at a nearby business which sustained roof and siding damage.||The tornado quickly crossed 98th Street and Highway 6 where a BNSF train locomotive took a direct hit, derailing numerous cars. The tornado continued northeast across open fields, crossing I-80 and eventually Salt Creek. There was substantial tree damage along the path and along Salt Creek as well as deposited roof debris from the manufacturing plant.||Satellite and video analysis indicate that this tornado ended almost due west of Waverly, with another separate tornado developing less than a mile to the west-northwest. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Lnk)Lincoln Arpt | 2 hurt | A thunderstorm wind gust was measured at 60 mph by the Asos at the Lincoln airport. The winds were from the first of 2 super-cell thunderstorms that tracked across the city on the 18th. The winds downed several trees which in turn caused damage to several homes in the city. A fallen tree limb shattered the windshield of a fire truck responding to downed wires narrowly missing the passenger and causing 2 injuries due to flying glass. |
| June 1956 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $2,500 | no account filed |
| June 1956 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 1 hurt, $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Lightning | Lincoln | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Flood | Roca | $100,000,000 | Record rainfall of 5 to 10 inches fell across Lancaster County, and the Salt Creek basin on the evening of the 6th into the early morning of the 7th. This led to significant flooding along the creek, from near Roca north through the Lincoln metro area. The flooding resulted in numerous road closures, water rescues and some mandatory evacuations. The flooding was largely contained within the levy system within the city of Lincoln, but many parks and low-lined areas were flooded. |
| June 1984 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 1957 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Firth | $2,000,000 | A very destructive hailstorm was centered on Firth Nebraska. The path of destruction was 6 to 8 miles wide and 20 to 30 miles long beginning near Sprague in Lancaster county and continuing to near Sterling in extreme northwest Johnson county. In Firth, hail up to the size of baseballs was driven by 50 mph winds. 148 out of 200 houses and businesses in town were heavily damaged with almost every north facing window broken out. Siding damage was also extensive. In Lancaster county, crop losses included around 20 percent of 10 thousand acres of corn, 30 percent of 6 thousand acres of soybeans and 10 percent of 2 thousand acres of sorghum. From southern Lancaster county into extreme northern Gage and northwest Johnson counties a total of 34 thousand acres of corn, 36 thousand acres of soybeans and 14 thousand acres of sorghum were heavily damaged. The Farm Service Agency estimated that the damaged fields in Gage county amounted to 36 thousand acres with losses around 65 percent for corn and soybeans and 45 percent for sorghum. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denton | $1,500,000 | Widespread severe wind gusts and straight line wind damage was observed across the entirety of Lancaster County with a line of severe thunderstorms that moved through the afternoon of July 31st. The highest measured wind gust was 92 miles per hour, recorded 1 mile southwest of Denton, Nebraska by a mesonet station. An 83 miles per hour wind gust was also measured by the Lincoln ASOS, and an 88 miles per hour wind gust was recorded by another mesonet station 4 miles northwest of Martell. Significant tree damage was reported across the county, with numerous trees blown down across the Lincoln metro. There were also several reports of structural damage, including a hotel which received roof damage near the Lincoln airport. Damages from these storms are estimated to be approximately 1.5 million dollars. |
| May 2016 | Flash Flood | University Place | $1,500,000 | Numerous reports from a variety of sources of flash flooding in the southeast part of the city of Lincoln. Rainfall reports of 3.5 to over 5 inches of rainfall were received. This along with areas of several inches accumulation of hail led to widespread street flooding in the area. Small streams and creeks in the area also overflowed including Stevens Creek. Water was flowing over the bridge where Holdridge Street crosses Stevens Creek. Severe water rescues were performed from stranded motorists. |
| May 1996 | Flash Flood | Panama | $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lincoln Arpt | $1,400,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Hollam | $1,200,000 | Heavy rain caused flash flooding which caused extensive damage to basements and businesses and closed numerous county roads, mostly south of Lincoln, and especially along Salt Creek. Gravel was washed from roads and cropland was also flooded. It was estimated that resurfacing gravel roads alone would cost $180,000 and damage to homes and businesses could approach $1 million. Unofficial reports of up to 8 inches of rain fell from this storm. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Malcolm | $500,000 | Heavy rain caused flash flooding from south of Malcolm into the Lincoln area and then south to Firth. Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches was reported during the afternoon, which was on top of an inch or two that fell that morning. Lincoln picked up 3.35 inches for the day, with heavier unofficial amounts reported across the city. The flooding closed several county roads near Malcolm and Wilderness Park and several blocks of Old Cheney Road near the Highway 77 bypass was closed. The flooding also caused scattered damage to homes and vehicles across the city. At least 3 cars were stuck in flood waters in the Highlands area, with street flooding as high as car windows. Flooded vehicles were also reported on O Street in the downtown area and some damage to houses was observed by flooding near the 48th and Saint Paul area.|Flooding was also observed along a 3 block stretch of Nemaha Street in Firth with some basement flooding and basement wall collapses reported. |
| July 2002 | Lightning | Cheneys | $479,000 | Lightning struck a painting company's building causing a fire which destroyed the building and around $200,000 in contents. |
| May 1997 | Tornado (F1) | Princeton | $300,000 | no account filed |
| April 1981 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1967 | Tornado | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Lightning | Lincoln | $225,000 | A lightning strike caused a fire and over $200,000 damage to a laundry facility near 20th and J Streets in Lincoln. The lightning struck the roof next to the east wall and smoldered for several hours before being noticed. Most of the damage was confined to the east side of the roof of the building. |
| July 2024 | Flash Flood | Emerald | $100,000 | Several training supercell thunderstorms tracked through and south of the city of Lincoln. The first report of flooding came from emergency management, where 48th street just south of Cornhusker Highway was closed due to water over the roadway. Shortly after this, the intersection of Havelock and Cornhusker was also closed due to rising water over the roadway. At midnight, Lincoln Fire and Rescue reported 3 vehicles submerged at the 48th and Cornhusker Highway intersection. Over the next several hours, multiple reports from emergency management, amateur radio, and public sources reported water flowing over numerous roads and intersections extending from the railyards in Lincoln, northeast into southern Waverly. |
| October 2014 | Flood | Waverly | $100,000 | Heavy rainfall at the end of September caused the Salt Creek and many of it's tributaries to go into flood. The flooding included the main stem of the Salt Creek, Little Salt Creek, and Stevens Creek. The creek is a fast response creek and rose above flood stage early in the morning on the 1st, crested in most locations during the early morning hours and fell below flood stage by afternoon or early evening. Most of the flooding along the system was minor, but the flooding along the main stem of the Salt Creek at Greenwood reached major stage. The flooding along the system was at a return interval of 100 years, and in some spots it was a 200 year flood. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding. |
| August 2003 | Lightning | Lincoln | $90,000 | Lightning caused around 90,000 dollars in smoke, fire and electrical damage to 3 businesses southwest of Lincoln. |
| August 2011 | Lightning | Raymond | $75,000 | Lightning struck a home in Roca starting a fire which caused around $75,000 in damage. |
| August 1996 | Flash Flood | Lincoln | $60,000 | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Flash Flood | Rokeby | $50,000 | Portions of Rokeby Road and South 14th Street were closed due to flooding due to heavy rain. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Huskerville | $50,000 | Rainfall of 3 to 7 inches fell across a large portion of Lancaster County. Numerous reports of flash flooding were received, especially in and around the city of Lincoln. There were a large number of flooded streets as well as a few water recuse that took place. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Waverly | $50,000 | The heavy rainfall continued across Lancaster County and allowed for flash flooding to continue well into the night. The flash flooding included along the Beal Slough Creek and continued street flooding. |
| September 2014 | Flash Flood | Raymond | $50,000 | Various spotters, media outlets, and the general public reported flash flooding across the Lincoln metro area. The area received between 4 to 7 inches of rainfall and this led to the flash flooding. The flooding caused several streets and highways in the Lincoln area to be closed. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Agnew | $50,000 | Heavy rainfall lead to 4 to 6 inches of flooding over Davey Road. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennet | $25,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at around 75 mph severely damaged a garage and farm building and also downed power lines near Bennet. |
| July 1997 | Lightning | Lincoln | $25,000 | Lightning struck a house causing the roof to catch on fire. |
| August 1977 | Tornado | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1975 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1964 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 1959 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Roca | $20,000 | Flash flooding was reported in the city part in Hickman. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Raymond | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 mph knocked a power pole down, and blew a porch and stripped siding off of a house near Raymond. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennet | $20,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 mph caused considerable tree damage from around Bennet to Firth. Although most of the tree damage was done in the Bennet area from around 134th to 162nd streets...a grain silo was toppled in Firth. |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lincoln | $20,000 | no account filed |
| September 1995 | Hail | Lincoln | $20,000 | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Lightning | Panama | $15,000 | A Building that was used for storage was struck by lightning and destroyed. The lightning strike occurred sometime late on 8/25/00 or early 08/26/00. |
| May 1996 | Lightning | Lincoln | $12,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waverly | $10,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph partially destroyed a 3000 square foot storage shed that was under construction. This same cell went on to cause further damage a little farther east/northeast of the area. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Emerald | $10,000 | Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches fell across the Lincoln area during the evening of 6/20. The heavy rain produced flash flooding across several streets in the Lincoln area including 26th and Superior, Arbor and 56th, a few locations along Highway 77 and near 26th and Saltillo. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Firth | $10,000 | Heavy rainfall of an inch or two produced flash flooding which blocked some county roads near Firth. |
| May 1996 | Lightning | Lincoln | $9,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Lightning | Lincoln | $6,000 | A lightning strike caused fire in an attic and top floor of a house in Lincoln. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Denton | $5,000 | A second round of heavy rain producing thunderstorms produced additional flash flooding across parts of Lincoln, especially the north part of town near Interstate 80, near 56th and Arbor Road and 63rd and Fletcher. |
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lincoln | $5,000 | Roof blown off a building |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lincoln | $5,000 | Large tree branch fell on a home. |
| May 2014 | Flood | Ceresco | $3,000 | Heavy rain caused flooding along Rock Creek near Ceresco. The stream reached a little over 24 feet during the early morning hours of 5/12, flood stage is 22 feet. The flooding mainly impacted a few farm fields and county roads near the creek. Damage was apparently minimal. |
| June 1971 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| June 1971 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| April 1955 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| September 1950 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Flood | Davey | $1,000 | Heavy rain caused Rock Creek to flood near and downstream of the Ceresco area. The creek reached a crest a little over 24 feet in the morning of June 4, flood stage is 22 feet. The flooding mainly impacted farmland along the stream. |
History of Seward County, Nebraska, Together with a Chapter of Reminiscenses of the Early Settlement of Lancaster County devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. The one chapter is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln City | Belmont, Bethany, College View, Countryside Estates, Gaslight Village, Havelock, Huskerville, Lincoln, Mark IV Estates, Pine Lake, University Place, West Lincoln, Woodlawn Estates | 290,606 words | 235 |
One book written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 2 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.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | 8,030 words |
| Chapter 12: Lancastee County - Its Growth and Progkess Since the Location of the | 5,657 words |
Everyone History of Seward County, Nebraska, Together with a Chapter of Reminiscenses of the Early Settlement of Lancaster County 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 1888.
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.
Centerville precinct · 68404 · On Wittstruck Creek · Roca quadrangle
15 sheets, 1897 to 1986
Lincoln city · 68521 · On Antelope Creek · Lincoln quadrangle
16 sheets, 1897 to 1986
Lincoln city · 68521 · On Antelope Creek · Lincoln quadrangle
16 sheets, 1897 to 1986
Lincoln city · 68504 · On Deadmans Run · Lincoln quadrangle
16 sheets, 1897 to 1986
Lincoln city · 68521 · On Antelope Creek · Lincoln quadrangle
16 sheets, 1897 to 1986
Yankee Hill precinct · 68523 · On Beal Slough · Lincoln quadrangle
16 sheets, 1897 to 1986
The vanished settlements of Lancaster County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
Block
