Spencer Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Listings in Spencer Nebraska

Village · Boyd County · Population 408 (2020 census) · ZIP 68777 · Founded 1891 · Peak population 728 (1920)

About Spencer

Spencer is the largest town in Boyd County, a village of 408 where US 281 meets NE 12, about 10 miles east of Butte. It has the county's middle and high school, an Avera clinic, a pharmacy, a motel, and the Boyd County Fairgrounds, with a campground and a public pool. The Boyd County Fair is held here in late July.

History

U.S. Adams and Sanford Parker looked over the site in April 1891, Adams surveyed the town that May, and the plat was filed on September 5, 1891. The post office opened in June 1891. Local histories say the town was named for an army captain; another account names George E. Spencer, a U.S. senator from Alabama. Early businesses included Parker's bank, the Phoenix Hotel and the Free Lance newspaper. The railroad arrived in 1902, and Spencer's population peaked at 728 in 1920.

Spencer got electricity in 1911 and a Carnegie library grant in 1915. About 5 miles southeast, the Spencer Dam on the Niobrara River made power from 1927. Ice runs damaged it in 1935, 1960 and 1966, and on March 14, 2019, a flood destroyed the dam and washed out part of US 281. The dam will not be rebuilt.

Read the full History of Spencer →

Highways and trails through Spencer

Route	One way	Other way
US 281Shares about 3.6 mi with NE 12 at Spencer	South across the Niobrara to O'Neill (about 31 mi)	North into South Dakota to US 18
NE 12East–west through Spencer	West to Butte (about 10 mi) and Naper (about 23 mi)	East to Bristow (about 9 mi) and Lynch (about 15 mi)

Nearby towns

Bristow	about 9 mi east	NE 12
Butte	about 10 mi west	NE 12
Gross	about 11 mi northeast	Gravel roads
Lynch	about 15 mi east	NE 12
Naper	about 23 mi west	NE 12
O'Neill	about 31 mi south	US 281

Things to see

Boyd County Fairgrounds, 205 N. Logan St., with a public pool and the fairgrounds campground · Spencer Veterans Memorial and the Elwin "Smoke" Reed marker

Events in Spencer

Boyd County Fair
2025 Boyd County Fair - July 23rd - July 26th

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Boyd County Public Schools: Boyd County Middle School (grades 5–8) and Boyd County High School (grades 9–12), 106 E. Greig St.

Health care: Avera Medical Group Spencer, 103 S. Thayer St.; Boyd County Pharmacy, 202 S. Thayer St.; nearest hospital Niobrara Valley Hospital, Lynch (about 15 mi)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; NEGenWeb Boyd County histories; History Nebraska; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.