The Pocahontas County town of Havelock was founded on November 23, 1881, by the Western Town Lot Company. Named for British general Sir Henry Havelock, postal service was established the following March, and the community officially incorporated in 1892. The fire department used to share space with the pictured City Hall before moving to a standalone facility.
The Hartford Post Office building was constructed in 1927, originally for use as a grocery store. It operated under three owners before it was purchased a converted to a short-order diner, as Harvey & Elsie’s Sandwich Shop in the early 1950s. The shop was short-lived as Harvey tragically was killed in a car accident, forcing the restaurant to shutter. The post office relocated to the building shortly after and has been there since. Postal service was established in Hartford in 1854.
A white frame building constructed in 1884 served as the first Methodist church in the Mills County town of Pacific Junction. In 1921, the building was sold to the local I.O.O.F. Lodge, and a new and larger brick church was constructed. The brick building served the congregation until December 9, 1945, when it was completely destroyed by fire. Services were temporarily held in the Pacific Junction school and gymnasium, until a restaurant building was purchased and remodeled in the fall of 1946. The bell tower was added to the church in 1985. The pastor also serves churches in Silver City and Hillsdale.
In October 1896, fire destroyed 23 buildings in the Adams County seat of Corning, including the home of the newly-formed library and its 500-book collection. Within a few months, $200 was raised, additional books were donated, and a new library was opened in a room over the Z.T. Widner store. The store was the first of three library locations before a permanent, $2,500 building was constructed in 1900.
Later that year, a municipal tax was approved, brining $639 annually to support the library. After 30 years in the location, Mrs. F.C. Okey gave $10,000 to the library board for expansion, and the pictured building was constructed shortly after. A $200,000 expansion was constructed to the west of the original library in 1981. The library purchased its first computer, an Apple IIe, in November 1983.
This modest wooden sign welcomes visitors to the Fremont County town of Thurman, home to 229 residents according to the most recent census. Thurman was founded as Plum Hollow in 1856 by Abraham Fletcher, but later renamed in honor of politician Allen Granberry Thurman. It was officially incorporated in February 1879.
As many as 90 percent of buildings in Thurman were damaged or destroyed by an EF-2 tornado on April 15, 2012. Read more in the Omaha World-Herald.