Platte County, Nebraska Churches
NEGenWeb Project
PLATTE COUNTY, NEBRASKA CHURCHES
Past and Present
PLEASE NOTE: If you can contribute to this page (either history of
a church or lists of baptisms, confirmands, etc.), please contact me.
Be sure to visit the webpages listing all Catholic churches in the Omaha Archdiocese (including Platte County). Contains links to individual pages for each parish with contact information. Many of the parish pages also list an e-mail address for the pastor.
- Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church
Located in Walker Township, it is the oldest Danish Lutheran Church in Platte County, having its beginning in 1879. The church was built in 1887. Early parishioners included: Jens Brandt, Hans Nelson, Hans J. Johnsen, Peter Buhl, Lars Anderson, Nels Jensen, Andrew Petersen, and Peter Petersen.
- Christ Lutheran Church, RR1, Columbus, NE 68601
- Church Of Christ, 1573 25th Avenue, Columbus, NE 68601
- Church Of God, The, 4807 29th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
Organized in December, 1993. Services were initially held in the home of its pastor, the Rev. Thomas Cunningham. It
has been at its present location since mid-1994.
- Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints, 4400 33rd Street, Columbus, NE 68601
Organized in July, 1865. Members included Mr. and Mrs. Charles Brindley, Mr. and Mrs.
James Freston, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Galley, Henry J. Hudson, Mrs. Hudson, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Murie, Mr. and Mrs.
James Warner.
- Church Of The Nazarene, 2764 45th Avenue, Columbus, NE 68601
Organized in 1941.
- Congregational Church - See Federated Church below
- Early Members: W.C. Sutton, Loretto Sutton, Mrs. J.B. Wells (Rosina C. Bauer Baker), Samuel C. and Clara A. Smith, Theda M. Coolidge (Mrs. H.P. Coolidge), Mary A. Elliott, C.A. Speice, Michael Weaver, George W. Stevens, Vincent Kummer, Dr. C.B. Stillman, I.N. Taylor and Julius A. Reed.
- Pastors: Henry E. Brown (1867); James B. Chase (1868-1869); John E. Elliott (1870-1874);
Charles S. Starbuck (1875); Thomas Bayne (1876-1878); E.L. Sherman (1878-1881); John Gray (1881-1883);
O.V. Rice (1884-1889); George Morton (1889); W. S. Hunt (1890-1891); T.W. Cole (1892);
O.D. Crawford (1893-1894); A.J. Rogers (1894-1900); George A. Munro (1900-1908); William L. Dibble (1908-1911);
George A. Munro (1912-1914)
- Committee members who drew up Articles of Federation in 1914: C.C. Sheldon; R.M. Campbell; C.A. Whaley; John Peterson; and R.S. Dickinson
- Creston Baptist Church, Creston, NE 68631
Formed in 1913 as a German Baptist Church.
- Evangelical and Reformed Church - See St. Luke's United Church of Christ below.
- Evangelical United Brethren Church
Organized in 1919 at the Wattsville School in Monroe. Early parishioners were: Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gertsch, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hill, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hill, Mr. and Mrs. William Weber, Mr. and Mrs. George Weber, and Mr. and Mrs. John Weber, Sr. The church was built in 1927 at a cost of $18,000.
- Everlasting Love Church, 4714 27th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- Federated Church-Presbyterian Church USA-Congregational United Church Of Christ, 2704 15th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
Articles of Federation of the Presbyterian and Congregational churches were compiled in July, 1914. The church, built in 1922, had extensive remodeling done and a new sanctuary built in 2001.
- First Baptist Church (of Columbus), 3210 30th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
Organized in 1884, the first building was dedicated in 1885.
- First Baptist Church (of Creston)
The German Baptist Society at Creston was organized in 1910. Church trustees were Gerharde Huseman, Frederick Settje, and Wilhelm Brunken. Early church members included the following families: G. Huseman, J.F. Settje, William Brunken, F. Sheffler, Herman Schulte, Julius Streblow, Leopold Bitter, Fred Huseman, Henry Huseman, Mrs. C. Behrens, Mrs. Martha Reitz, and William Brunken Jr.
- First Baptist Church (of Humphrey)
Organized between 1892 and 1894. Early members were Andrew Kamm, Carl Baumgart, Fred Settje, Fred Baumgart, Herman Peters, Ed. Steinhuas, August Cloeters, Carl Sheffler.
- First Baptist Church (of Platte Center)
Organized about 1889, the first trustees were Mrs. Martin Bloedorn, William Bloedorn, Ferdinand Seefeld, and Henry Loswer.
- First Presbyterian Church (of Creston)
Organized in 1878 with eleven members: John Drake, Rachel Drake, Arthur Miles, Maria J. Miles, Margaret A. Miles, Eliza Williams, W.B. Williams, N. McCandlish, F. McCandlish, Mary Steel, and Margaret Steel. Some of the organizers and donors were: Dr. John Scudder, W.C. Jackson, Ezra Drake, R.C. Moran, W.H. Dean, Belden Williams, E.A. Sage, and Arthur Miles.
- First Presbyterian Church of Humphrey
First meetings were held in 1883 and articles of incorporation filed in 1885. Trustees elected were: D.T. Dickinson, James H. Sloan, and T.D. Robinson. This church is no longer in existence.
- First United Methodist Church, 2710 14th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- First Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church
Organized in 1881 and was located at Postville. By 1949, the church was used only for funerals. Photographs, taken in April 2001, were submitted by Eugene Barnes. Thank you for sharing!
- Freedom Baptist Church-Independent, 3902 Howard Boulevard, Columbus, NE 68601
- German Methodist Church
The history of this church dates back to the 1880's. Membership was made up of a group of German and Swiss settlers who lived in the Duncan vicinity. Early members were Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Zinnecker, Mr. and Mrs. John Meyer, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Houser, and Mr. and Mrs. John Aden. The church was disbanded in 1922.
- German Reformed Church - see St. Luke's United Church of Christ below.
- Grace Episcopal Church, 2053 23rd Avenue, Columbus NE 68601
- Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
Located in Platte Center, it was organized in 1940.
- Grace Lutheran Church, 216 1st Street, Platte Center, NE 68653
The congregation was organized in 1940. Church building was formerly the Episcopal Church of Genoa. It was purchased and
moved to Platte Center in 1944.
- Gruetli, Rural Route, Monroe
- Highland Park Evangelical Free Church, 4115 38th Street, P.O. Box 694, Columbus, NE 68601
- Holding Forth The Word Ministries, 1730 Woodland Drive, Columbus, NE 68601
- Holy Family Church, P.O. Box 68, Lindsay, NE 68644
The first church was built in 1895, and on June 19, 1899, ground was broken for the second frame church building.
- Igl Evangelio Emanuel, 2207 11th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- Immanuel Lutheran Church-LC-MS, 2406 14th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
The German Evangelical Immanuel Lutheran Congregation of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, at Columbus, Nebraska
was organized on October 14, 1883. Early members were William Bucher, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Esslinger, August Halb, Catherine Hoppen, Paul Hoppen, Friedrich Koster, Fredrich Krause, Henry Luers, Herman Natenstedt, William Schroeder, Minnie Schwarz, and Louis Wagner. The present structure was built in 1930 and at that time the church name was changed to Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church.
- Independent Evangelical Protestant Church (The) - See St. Luke's United Church of Christ below.
- Jehovah's Witnesses, 4626 27th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- Looking Glass United Methodist Church, RR 1, Newman Grove, NE
Organized in 1882, the church is located in Walker Township. Early parishioners included: Mr. and Mrs. Bengt Olson, Mr. and Mrs. John Olson, Mrs. Elna Matson, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bauer, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Swanson, Mr. and Mrs. Steiner, and Mr. and Mrs. August Peterson.
- Monroe Congregational Church
Those present at the first meeting held in 1880 were: William J. Thurston, Hariette A. Thurston, Jehiel J. Judd, John Zeigler, Mary Jane Zeigler, Solomon A. Dickinson, Sarah R. Judd, Melissa A. Dickinson, Sarah H. Anderson, E.B. Hall, Ezra Hall, Harriet E. Day and J.J. Dickinson.
- Monroe Evangelical Church - See Evangelical United Brethren Church above.
- Monroe Presbyterian Church
Organizational meeting was held in 1890. Trustees were William J. Strother, Martin A. Voorhees and John M. Kelly.
- New Hope Ministries, 2407 11th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- North Park Baptist Church, 3770 18th Avenue, Columbus, NE 68601
- Oconee Presbyterian Church
First established as the Presbyterian Church of Lost Creek and incorporated in 1883; Robert Pinson, James Wood, and Isaac Kenyon were chosen as trustees.
- Palestine Baptist Church, RR1, Lindsay NE 68644
History of organization dates back to September 1879. Early members included: Carrie Hanchett, Hattie Hanchett, Lois Hanchett, W.D. Hanchett, Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Hanchett, Mr. and Mrs. P.G. Jones, and Mrs. L.B. Owen.
- Peace Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, 2720 28th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- Platte Valley Bible Church, 1261 25th Avenue Columbus, NE 68601
- Postville Welsh Church - See First Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church (above)
- Presbyterian Church - See Federated Church above.
- Organized in 1869 and incorporated in 1874; first church building was bought in 1878 and the parsonage in 1878. The original membership of the organization were: Mr. and Mrs. G.W. Brown, Mrs. A.M. Arnold, Mrs. Josephine Compton, Mr. Joseph Gerrard, Miss Emma Gerrard, Mrs. Avia Zeigler.
- Pastors: J.N. Hutchinson (1869); Joseph M. Wilson (1869-1873); A.S. Foster (1873-1874);
J.A. Hood (1875-1878); Robert Christison (1878-1879); Charles N. Cate (1879-1881); John W.
Little (1882-1887); J.V. Griswold (1887-1891); O.A. Elliot (1891-1895); W.G. Lacey (1896);
R.E.L. Hayes (1897-1899); C.N. Weyer (1900); D. Julian Becker (1901-1902); W.N. Halsey (1903-1905);
R.E.L. Hayes (1906-1908); Samual D. Harkness (1908-1912); and George F. Williams (1912-1914)
- Committee members who drew up Articles of Federation in 1914: Louis Lightner; W.H. McAllister;
Dr. E.H. Naumann; Albert Stenger; and P.A. Peterson.
- Presbyterian Church of Tracy Valley
Incorporated on September 26, 1875; L.C. LaBarre, L.B. Leach and Walter Mead, were elected as trustees.
- Reorganized Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 3003 18th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
Early Mormon families included the Brindleys, Frestons, Galleys, Hudsons, Mormeys, Muries,
Wakes, Watkins, Watts, Moses Welch, and others.
- Sacred Heart Church
Located in the village of Cornlea, its history dates back to 1888. The church was completed and dedicated in 1908. Early day parishioners and donors were: Ben Preister, John Frisch, John Ternus, Sr., William Noonan, Peter Noonan, Sr., Theodore Huettner, and Ben Melcher.
- Salem Swedish Lutheran Church
Located in the Salem Community near Rosenborg, it is the mother church of Zion Lutheran Church of Newman Grove and the Augustana Lutheran Church in Genoa. Early members and donors were: Andrew Anderson, John E. Blomquist, Carl G. Jacobson, P. August Jacobson, and Frank Soderberg.
- St. Angsar's Evangelical Lutheran Church, located at Rosenborg, in Section 11, Walker Township. Organized October, 1884.
- St. Anthony's Church, 562 17th Avenue, Columbus, NE 68601
- St. Bernard Catholic Church
St. Bernard's was located in the northeast corner of Section 11, Township 20, Range 3 West. The first church was dedicated on November 21, 1878; St. Bernard's church was dissolved in 1971. Please contact Gloria Barnes (who contributed the information on St. Bernard church) if you have questions or are researching in the area.
- History - includes early members
- Families of St. Bernard - 1928
- Death Register - Gloria Barnes has a copy of the death register from 1899-1988 and is willing to do lookups! (The entries after September 1970--about the time the church closed--appear to be burial records for the St. Bernard Cemetery.)
- St. Bonaventure Church, 1565 18th Avenue, Columbus, NE 68601
History of the church dates back to 1877. The first wedding celebrated was that of Francis Lachnit and Catherine Galus on November 7, 1877. The first funeral was John Bernard Delsman, infant son of J. Bernard and Clara Delsman. The new brick building was dedicated for worship on November 1, 1884. (Also, see St. John's Church below.)
- St. Francis of Assissi Church, P.O. Box 116, Humphrey, NE 68642
- History
- Partial surname list compiled by Marge Galus Sandlier, (email: m-sandlier@cox.net) from "A Century Together 1883-1983", St. Francis Catholic Church, Humphrey, Nebraska; includes
biographies from St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church, St. Mary, Nebraska. [offsite]
- Biographies - abstracts of selected individuals from the Centennial Book - compiled by Marge Galus Sandlier
- St. Isidore Church, 3921 20th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- St. John's (Catholic) Church
Organized in 1860, St. John's was the first church in Columbus. The first church building was built in 1861. As the years passed, many German and Polish Catholics attended the Mass there, but when St. Bonaventure's Church was organized, in 1877, the German and Polish speaking Catholics became members of that church. The property was signed over to the Franciscans in 1891 and the St. John's parish became a part of the St. Bonaventure's parish at that time.
- St. John's Lutheran Church-ELCA, 5102 98th Street East, Columbus, NE 68601
- Confirmands - through 1913.
- History - as published in the 100th Anniversary booklet (1881-1981)
- St. John's 'Missouri Synod', RR1, Columbus, NE 68601
- St. John Nepomucene Church
Located in Joliet Township, near Lindsay, it was the third Catholic parish in Platte County. In 1882 the parish was re-organized and a frame church built on land donated by John Deegan. In 1884, parishioners included John Galligan, Martin Maher, Frank Walker, James Keogh, Anthony Cady, Daniel Wilson, Michael Sheridan, Thomas Farrell, W.H. Dress, M. Sweeney, John Sweeney, L. Callahan, X. Forgette, Daniel Hayes, M.J. Clark, Edward Connelly, John McPhillips, and Daniel Holloran.
- St. Joseph Church, 155 A Street, Platte Center, NE 68653
- St. Luke's United Church of Christ, 1072 21st Avenue, Columbus, NE 68601
- St. Mary of the Angels, rural Humphrey, NE
- History
- Pictures - past and present.
- Partial surname list compiled by Marge Galus Sandlier, (email: m-sandlier@cox.net) from "A Century Together 1883-1983", St. Francis Catholic Church, Humphrey, Nebraska; includes
biographies from St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church, St. Mary, Nebraska. [offsite]
- St. Michael's, RR1, Tarnov, NE 68642
- St. Patrick Church, Shell Creek - see St. Joseph Church above.
- St. Paul Methodist Church
Located in Duncan, early members included: John Ernst, John Eisenmann, Christ Wuethrich, Julius Rudat, and John Schmocker, together with their wives and family.
- St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church
Located in Sherman Township, St. Paul's was organized in 1881. Charter members were: Henry Robert, Herman Luedtke, Jacob Held, Henry Tabke, John Bade, Herman Lueschen, Diedrich Wurdeman, John Hoessel, Herman Pieper, Frederick Mackenstadt, Henry Hunteman Sr., Emil Heier, and Albert Schroeder.
- St. Paul's Lutheran Church (rural Lindsay)
Organized in 1878 to serve the Lutherans in the St. Bernard community. Early day parishioners were Herman and Julius Ernst, Otto Nathan, August Eucker, and Johann Purtzer. The church was incorporated in 1889.
- St. Paul's Lutheran Church (rural Monroe)
Located in Monroe Township, it was organized in 1890 to serve the Lutherans in that vicinity. Early parishioners were: Martin Mohr Sr., John Mohr Sr., Herman Lammers, Herman Wein, and Frank Ditmer.
- St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 2700 33rd Avenue, Columbus, NE 68601
- St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 410 Pine Street, Creston, NE 68631
Organized in the early 1900's, early members were Jacob Bachman, Louis Bade, Henry Brockman, William Claussen, William B. Engelbart, John Goetz, Henry Gohl, Marcus Hoesly, Samuel Hoesly, Diedrich Hollman, Gerhard Korfhage, Henry Leffers, Ernst Marx, John Oeltjen, William Oeltjen, John Rosendahl, Louis Sander, Henry Walter, and Henry Wendt.
- St. Peter's Lutheran Church (of Humphrey)
St. Peter's Church was organized in 1882 to serve the Lutherans in the Humphrey area. The first church was built in 1884 and rebuilt in 1946. First parishioners included: Christopher Kummetz, Herman Patschke, Wilhelm Patschke, Ferdinand Rohde, Carl Schroeder, J.T. Schure, Fred Schwarz, Wilhelm Streblow, Martin Voltz, and Herman Wendt.
- St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, 1120 8th Street, Duncan, NE 68634
- History - as published in the church's centennial book, 100 Years of Faith (1882-1982).
- Index of Surnames - past and present, as published in the church's centennial book, 100 Years of Faith (1882-1982).
- Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 3026 38th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- Shell Creek Baptist Church, RR3, Columbus, NE 68601
- Trinity Lutheran Church ELCA, 2200 25th Street, Columbus, NE 68601
In 1928, the first meeting with over 60 people in attendance was held for the purpose of organizing a new church. The membership was made up of former members of the Independent Evangelical Protestant church in Columbus. Early day parishioners included W.L. Boettcher, Emil Brunken, William Durkop, Emil Held, Walter Jaeggi, Henry Lusche, Otto C. Mueller, and Carl Rohde.
- History - as published in the Columbus Telegram
- Union Church of Monroe
Several churches united to form the Union Church in 1921. The agreement was signed by Alice M. Alexander, Gertrude M. Alexander, Mrs. M.J. Aston, E.A. Gerrard, Mrs. A.E. Gerrard, F.H. Gerrard, Mary A. Gerrard, L.B. Head, Hugh Hill, A.E. Hoare, Mrs. A.E. Hoare, C.H. Hollingshead, Leone Hollingshead, Mrs. Belle Jenkinson, E.D. Jenkinson, W.H. Joy, Mrs. Willim Joy, Mrs. F.B. Kelly, Lester C. Kelly, W.W. Mannington, D.M. McWilliams, Mrs. M.J. McWilliams, Martin Nelson, Mrs. Martin Nelson, Charles Nunnally, Mrs. Charles Nunnally, S.E. Pearson, Mrs. S.E. Pearson, C.B. Preston, Mrs. C.B. Preston, C.H. Sigea, Mrs. William Sigea, Lois Smith, Mary Jane Stillinger, R.W. Stillinger, Cora Swanson, Margaret Swanson, John Talbitzer, Mrs. J.M. Wiley, R.E. Wiley, Alvina D. Ziegler and D.W. Ziegler.
- United Brethren in Christ Church
United Brethren Church was organized in the 1890's and was located on the south side of 7th Street, east of Washington Avenue in Columbus. Early parishioners: George Cleveland, Nelson family, Mr. and Mrs. William Lohr, Minnie Lohr, Pearl Lohr, Jeff Lohr and family. In 1915 there was a member of 18 persons. The church was discontinued some time before 1920.
- United Evangelical Lutheran Church
Organized in 1930, the early membership was made up largely of former parishioners of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.
- United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 66, Monroe, NE 68647
- Victory Christian Fellowship, 2665 14th Avenue East, Columbus, NE 68601
- Wesley H. Wells Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church (of Monroe)
Organizational meeting was held in 1904 in Monroe. H. Hirst Millard was presiding elder and acted as chairman; John Gibbons, secretary. Others signing the articles of incorporation were J.S. Lenon, E. Dillon and Reverend J.A. Hutchins, pastor of the church.
- West Hill Baptist Church
Located in Woodville Township, it was organized in the early 1900's.
- West Hill Methodist Church
Organized in 1877, the West Hill Methodist Church was located in Monroe Township. The eleven charter members were: Mr. and Mrs. Nels Munson, Mr. and Mrs. Swan Nelson, Peter Welin, Elva Peterson, Anna Larson, Anna Baur, Bengta Anderson, and Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Swanson. Other early members were Mr. and Mrs. John Hanson and Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Anderson.
- West Hill Presbyterian Church - see Zion Grace Presbyterian Church below.
- Word Of Life Church, The, 3701 23rd Street, Columbus, NE 68601
- Zion Grace Presbyterian Church
Organized on April 1, 1894. Board of trustees was: William Adamson, Charles McTaggert, and William J. Irwin. Name was changed to West Hill Presbyterian Church on September 2, 1894.
- Zion Lutheran Church, RR1 Platte Center, NE 68653
Please contact Lois Germond (who transcribed the information on Zion Lutheran Church) if you have questions or are researching in the area.
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