From 1882, H. A. Lansworth was Postmaster in his own home for 51 years.
Named after Amelia Bliss, whose husband, I. D. Bliss, was the first Postmaster. The town site was on the homestead of F. A. Jennison filed November 8, 1888. The town was platted and filed in 1892. It soon grew with the addition of a general store, blacksmith shop and = newspaper. Amelia is an attractive village reminiscent of the "Old West".
Anncar was named after the mother of Hugh O'Neill, Anna Carroll. Mr. O'Neill's homestead was the first post office.
Atkinson was the second Colony on the south side of the Elkhorn River started by General O'Neill in 1875. The town was named in honor of Cal Atkinson, one of the General's party. A rival settlement was soon made on the north side of the River by John Carberry in 1876. He was the first postmaster of Atkinson.The town was platted August 7, 1880. The first store being erected in 1877 by D. P. Schultz. Before long, Atkinson had three general stores, a drug store, hardware store, furniture store, implement store, two wagon shops, three blacksmith shops, two hotels, and a town hall.
To the north is an intensely irrigated area with the hay producing valley of the Elkhorn and the sandhills lie to the south.
Atkinson has an estimated population of about 1400 people with many prosperous businesses.
The post office and store were operated by a man named Belknap.
Mae McGown was the last postmistress for Blackbird. The first post office was established about 1900 at the Kennedy home.
In 1884, a man named Blanchard put up a log building for a store or trading post.For the first Fourth of July celebration, a tall slender Cedar Tree was cut for a flag pole, which still stands.
The post office, grocery store and telephone exchange was actually located at five locations in the Goose Lake and Cache Creek area until discontinued on Nov. 30, 1939.
So named because a group of surveyors cached their equipment on the banks of the creek while they went to Omaha for more supplies. The hiding place was not found during their absence.
Established in 1885, and named after the wife of Postmaster George Hunter. Soon, a church and school were established.Then came the Celia Independent Telephone Company in August 18, 1906. Until it was liquidated in 1962, it served people for as far as 75 miles.
The school building was sold in 1963 after consolidation with other districts.
R. C. Wry homesteaded this site in June 1883. He opened a store, and in 1884, the new town was named Chambers, and started to grow at once. Twelve businesses were started the first year, including a newspaper called the "Chambers Journal". The "Chambers Eagle Newspaper" was started in 1885, and "The Journal" was moved to Shamrock, later named Pickings.The South Fork Fair was organized in 1886, and the County Fair has been held here since the 1930's.
Chambers is presently a thriving inland town with an estimated population of 400.
The first post office was established in 1879, and J. Blackmore was its first postmaster. It was first located in the dug-out home of Mr. Haskell in 1875. In 1879, it was moved to the J. Blackmore home. In 1902, it was moved again, this time to the home of Hugh O'Neill and the name was changed to Anncar.
The post office was established in 1878 and was named after its first Postmaster, L. M. Cleveland.In 1881, Jacques and Bastedo built a flour mill on Beaver Creek, and the first store was built by Wixsom in 1881.
There was a blacksmith shop and wagon shop located here, besides the post office.
Conley was started about 1885 with the post office, a store and blacksmith shop.A note in the 1887 "Frontier" newspaper stated: "Conley is booming, a new store is opening and we expect the B & M Railroad through here in the near future."
A. W. Hunt was the first settler in 1877, and became the postmaster in October 1879. The same year, he opened the first store.Deloit was probably named after Deloit, Crawford County, Iowa.
This town site and creek were originally called Apple Creek, then the name was changed to Steel Creek and Omerical (Mineral) before it was finally named Dorsey in honor of George Dorsey, US Representative from Nebraska, 1885-1891.The town was started by John Emmerson, who built a home and store and was the first postmaster in 1880. He also built a hotel called the "Emmerson House".
At its peak, Dorsey had a bank, flour mill, harness shop, four general stores, hardware store, drugstore, newspaper, two hotels, church, school, and a community hall.
It dwindled down to a school, church and post office before Jesse Hiatt started a new store and gas station in the 1940's. The post office existed until February 8, 1957, and the telephone exchange store and station closed in 1960.
Emory Downey ran the Halfway House Hotel where the stage from Niobrara to O'Neill made overnight stops. Downey may have been a part of Star, but in some places it was referred to as Downey.
This town was named after William Dustin. The post office was probably established in the early 1880's. At its peak, there was a general store, hardware store, drug store, blacksmith shop, church, school, and a newspaper called the "Dustin Dispatch".The last store and the post office closed August 16, 1957.
At its peak, Eagle Mills had a hotel, general store, post office, photo gallery, blacksmith shop, saw mill, and a grist mill.The grist mill was owned by Mr. Noilkamper who moved it to Gregory, SD in 1895. The town was soon abandoned, and was later known as the Turner Post Office until it closed.
The town was named after Robert Emmet, the Irish Patriot.Emmet was first settled in 1873 and soon had a branch newspaper of the O'Neill "Frontier", a store, depot, and other businesses and several homes on the south side of the tracks.
The depot at Ewing burned and the one at Emmet was hauled to Ewing in flat cars. Soon everything in Emmet disappeared except three houses.
Thomas F. Malloy filed on the land having previously been filed on as a tree claim by Thomas F. Malloy and Willis Emmerson. The town was platted and filed April 10, 1885. It was not long before new buildings and businesses began, including three churches, bank, hay office, hardware store, saloon, general store, lumber yard, elevator, hotel and depot.
By 1915, Emmet had a population of 225. Now with a population of less than 100, it claims to be "The Biggest Little Hay Town in the World".
The first depot was established in 1891.C. D. Harrison was appointed postmaster and started a store the same year.
The town site was laid out in streets and lots, but stockyards and a school was all that was added. The post office closed in 1905. The rural school near the original site still bears the name.
The town was named Ewing in honor of the first postmaster in Holt County, and was incorporated May 8, 1884.In 1881, the post office known as "Ford" was moved to the railroad site, one and a half miles southwest, and, a Mr. Johnson took over as postmaster, at this time.
In 1891, the first commercial club comprised of 17 businessmen was organized.
In 1904, Martin Savidge built telephone lines from the switchboard near Deloit to Ewing.
From 1907 to 1911, the Savidge Brothers experimented with gliders and built and flew Nebraska's first plane.
Ford was not only the first settlement in Holt County by Mr. Ford, 1870, but also the first post office in the county, January 22, 1874. It's first postmaster was James Ewing.