Built in 1876. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
“Smith Lime Kiln and Limestone House near Fairbury, Nebraska was built in 1874. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.”
Wikipedia article Woral C. Smith Lime Kiln and Limestone House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 14 National Register listings published here for Jefferson County · listed in 1974 · category: Building · built in 1876.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 27 fires within 5 miles of Woral C. Smith Lime Kiln and Limestone House between 2004 and 2020, burning about 340 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 18 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 4 July 2020 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 27 July 2017 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 13 June 2014 | Debris and open burning | 18 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 9 May 2018 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 25 May 2014 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 2 May 2014 | Debris and open burning | 12 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 12 May 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Fairbury, the town this property stands in, in 154 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 81 hail, 57 thunderstorm wind, 11 flash flood, 2 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Fairbury | $50,000 | Emergency management reported multiple roads flooded in the city of Fairbury. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | $40,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew a roof off of a home near Fairbury. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | $20,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph snapped a large tree which crashed onto a roof of a nearby house causing significant damage to the roof and one wall. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | $15,000 | Machine shed destroyed and cattle shed damaged. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Fairbury | $8,000 | Ten homes had basements flooded as the Little Blue river rose out of its banks. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | $8,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down a metal storage shed. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Fairbury | $5,000 | Heavy rainfall of an inch or so in an hour or less produced flash flooding of a few streets in Fairbury. In addition, heavy rain caused flash flooding along portions of Indian Creek near Diller according to Jefferson county Emergency Management. A few county roads were closed due to the flood waters. |
| May 1993 | Hail | Fairbury | $500 | Golf ball-size hail caused minor damage. Damage included breaking the windshield of a truck. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | $200 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Emergency management report of hail estimated up to 1 inch in diameter in Fairbury, NE. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Public report relayed by emergency management of hail estimated up to 1.75 inches in diameter in Fairbury, NE. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Public report of hail estimated up to 1 inch in diameter in Fairbury, NE. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Public report of hail measured up to 1.75 inches in diameter near Fairbury, NE. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Public report of hail measured up to 2 inches in diameter near Fairbury, NE. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager report of a measured 70 mph wind gust. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency management reported a 65 miles per hour wind gust. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | An 83 miles per hour wind gust was reported to the office by emergency management. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency Management reported a 75 miles per hour wind gust that occurred in Fairbury. The report was delayed, so the time was estimated based on radar. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported a peak wind gust of 60 mph. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported 2-inch hail. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Public reported 1-inch hail. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported 2.5-inch hail. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported a measured peak wind gust of 68 mph. Additionally, there was tree damage across Fairbury and power outages. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Public reported a 12-inch diameter tree limb blown down onto a fence. |
| October 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | The office received a report from law enforcement of widespread trees down across roads in Fairbury. Time was estimated by radar. |
| October 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Received a report from the Jefferson county Emergency Manager of an 82 mph wind gust in Fairbury, Nebraska. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manger reported a measured wind gust of 70 knots. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported power lines blown down. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Mesonet station measured a peak wind gust of 64 knots. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported numerous pivots overturned throughout Jefferson County. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported numerous trees down. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported multiple trees and parts of roofs in the street. Town is without power.ER. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported power lines and trees down. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported 1 inch hail. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Public sent in a picture of a large limb down from a tree via Twitter. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Emergency manager reported uprooted trees. Limbs up to 4 inches were broken off. Buildings were damaged from downed tree branches. There were numerous power outages in the Fairbury area. |
| May 2019 | Heavy Rain | Fairbury | - | The public reported 2.50 inches of rain in Fairbury. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Measured by station CW6705 in Fairbury. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | The public estimated 60 mph winds in Fairbury. |
| March 2019 | Flash Flood | Fairbury | - | The emergency manager reported water across a few county roads southwest of Fairbury. |
| September 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | A weather station measured an 83 MPH wind gust. |
| September 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Another gust of 83 mph was measured. |
| September 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Trees were blown down onto power lines. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | A 58 mph wind gust was measured at the Crystal Springs weather station. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | A tree was blown down in the city of Fairbury that landed on a transformer and resulted in power outages. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | There were also 8 inch limbs reported downed in the city of Fairbury. |
| September 2015 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Pictures on social media indicate hail up to baseball size in the city of Fairbury. |
| September 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Strong winds knocked down tree branches and caused numerous power outages in the city of Fairbury. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | The emergency manager reported that a 3 foot diameter tree was snapped and fell on a house. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Fairbury | - | Repeated heavy rainfall from thunderstorms produced 2 to 3 inches of rainfall in the Fairbury area leading to flash flooding in the city. Several intersections were flooded in town. |
| April 2012 | Flash Flood | Fairbury | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding across parts of the Fairbury area. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Accompanied by wind gusts of 40 mph. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 60 mph downed many large tree branches in town and also knocked over a least one power pole and power lines near Highway 15 and 708 Road. The winds were from the main thunderstorm which followed a period of outflow winds that occurred some 20 to 30 minutes prior. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fairbury | - | Outflow from thunderstorms were measured at 60 mph. After the outflow moved through additional strong winds from the thunderstorms themselves caused scattered damage about 20 to 30 minutes later. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Fairbury | - | From the second supercell thunderstorm that dropped large hail within an hour southwest of Fairbury. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Fairbury | - | The first of two supercell thunderstorms that dropped large hail southwest of Fairbury. |
| September 2010 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Hail up to nickel-size was accompanied by thunderstorm winds which were estimated at around 65 mph. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Hail up to half dollar-size was reported from 5 miles west of Fairbury to around 2 miles southwest of town. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Fairbury | - | Hail up to half dollar-size was reported from the north part of Fairbury to 11 miles north of town. |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Fairbury Public-Carnegie Library | 4.7 miles | 1985 |
 | IOOF Temple Building | 4.7 miles | 1987 |
| Fairbury Commercial Historic District | 4.7 miles | 1997 | |
 | Jefferson County Courthouse | 4.8 miles | 1972 |
| Fairbury Jr/Sr High School and Gymnasium-Auditorium | 4.8 miles | 1999 | |
| John C. Kesterson House | 4.9 miles | 2019 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 74001124 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Jefferson County | All 14 listed properties in this county. |
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