Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
“The IOOF Hall and Opera House in Bladen, Nebraska, United States, was built in 1913. It served historically as a meeting hall, as a theater, and as a music facility.”
Wikipedia article IOOF Hall and Opera House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 36 National Register listings published here for Webster County · listed in 1988 · category: Building.
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 5 fires within 5 miles of IOOF Hall and Opera House between 2000 and 2012, burning about 3 acres in total. 1 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 | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 3 August 2002 | Natural | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 March 2012 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 30 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 March 2009 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of IOOF Hall and Opera House: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bladen Sand & Gravel Co Plant & Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bladen, the town this property stands in, in 42 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 18 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 3 heavy rain, 2 tornado. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2014 | Hail | Bladen | $1,000,000 | Hail ranging in size from quarters to golf balls was reported. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | $500,000 | no account filed |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Bladen | $400,000 | 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. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Bladen | $250,000 | A tornado occurred in northwest Webster county. A machine shed was damaged. There was extensive tree damage near the tornado's path. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Bladen | $150,000 | no account filed |
| December 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | $100,000 | Multiple outbuildings were damaged with major loss of roof panels, and a pivot was overturned. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Bladen | $100,000 | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Bladen | $100,000 | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | $50,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in tree damage in Bladen, with damage also reported to a roof and flagpole. A wind gust of 67 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile southwest of Bladen. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Bladen | $45,000 | Damage to area crops, roofs and siding was reported. |
| August 2016 | Flood | Bladen | $40,000 | Generally 3-6 inches of rain fell across mainly the northern third of Webster County, resulting in extensive flooding. The rain began around 930 pm CDT on August 28th and ended at about 430 am CDT on August 29th, although the bulk of the heaviest rain occurred between 10 pm CDT on August 28th to 2 am CDT on August 29th. |
| August 2016 | Flash Flood | Bladen | $40,000 | Generally 3-6 inches of rain fell across mainly the northern third of Webster County, resulting in extensive flooding. The rain began around 930 pm CDT on August 28th and ended at about 430 am CDT on August 29th, although the bulk of the heaviest rain occurred between 10 pm CDT on August 28th to 2 am CDT on August 29th. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | $40,000 | Wind gusts estimated at 70 mph resulted in a center irrigation pivot being overturned. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | $25,000 | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Bladen | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | $10,000 | Tree branches of 3 inches in diameter were blown down. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Bladen | $5,000 | Hail accompanied by wind gusts estimated at 70 mph. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | A wind gust of 69 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile southwest of Bladen. Wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 MPH across Bladen. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | A wind gust of 71 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles southwest of Bladen. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | A wind gust of 64 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles east-southeast of Campbell. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH. |
| October 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH in Bladen. |
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | A wind gust of 60 MPH was measured in Bladen. |
| June 2019 | Hail | Bladen | - | Quarter to half dollar size hail was reported. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | A wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located 1 mile east-southeast of Campbell. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Bladen | - | Golf ball size hail broke a car windshield just southeast of Blue Hill. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH. |
| July 2017 | Heavy Rain | Bladen | - | A storm total rainfall amount of 4.82 inches was measured. |
| August 2016 | Heavy Rain | Bladen | - | Storm total rainfall of 3.40 inches...all of which fell between 9:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. CDT. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | Wind gusts were estimated between 60 and 70 MPH. |
| August 2011 | Heavy Rain | Bladen | - | Storm total rainfall of 3.90 inches was reported by a Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network observer. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Hail | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| April 2023 | Hail | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| September 2010 | Hail | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bladen | - | no account filed |
| September 1998 | Hail | Bladen | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Pavelka Farmstead | 4.0 miles | 1979 |
 | George Cather Farmstead | 5.6 miles | 1982 |
| William Cather Homestead Site | 7.9 miles | 1982 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 88000953 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Webster County | All 36 listed properties in this county. |
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