Harvard Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Clay County · Population 951 (2020 census) · ZIP 68944 · Founded 1871 · Peak population 1,261 (1960)

About Harvard

Harvard is a city of 951 people (2020) in northwestern Clay County, at 1,801 feet just north of US 6, reached by Spur 18A; it is about 7 miles north-northwest of Clay Center and 15 miles east of Hastings. Harvard has its own K–12 public schools, the Carnegie library, a pool, the Harvard Rest Haven nursing home and the Harvard State Airport. Harvard Marsh, one of the largest waterfowl production areas in the Rainwater Basin, is 4 miles west and 1 north. Harvard is on Central Time.

History

The Burlington & Missouri River tracks reached the site on December 20, 1871. The town was surveyed and platted in 1872 and sold to Charles F. Morse of the Eastern Land Association, and the railroad named it for Harvard University, next after Grafton in its alphabetical series of stations. The Harvard House hotel went up in 1872. Harvard became a village in 1873 and a city of the second class in April 1879, and that November it lost the county-seat election to Clay Center, 1,867 votes to 1,967. Billy Southworth, the Hall of Fame baseball manager, was born near Harvard on March 9, 1893. The city peaked at 1,261 people in 1960.

Highways and trails through Harvard

Route	One way	Other way
US 6Just south of the city (Spur 18A)	West to Inland and Hastings	East to Saronville and Sutton

Nearby towns

Clay Center	about 7 mi south-southeast	Spur 18A, US 6 and NE 14
Inland	about 7 mi west-southwest	US 6
Saronville	about 8 mi east	US 6
Trumbull	about 10 mi west-northwest	County roads
Giltner	about 11 mi north-northwest	County roads
Glenvil	about 12 mi southwest	County roads
Sutton	about 12 mi east	US 6
Fairfield	about 13 mi south	NE 14
Hastings	about 16 mi west	US 6
Aurora	about 18 mi north-northeast	NE 14

Things to see

the Harvard historical marker, 505 E. Walnut St., by the pool · the Harvard Public Library (Carnegie library, National Register 2022) · Harvard Marsh Waterfowl Production Area, 4 miles west and 1 north (1,484 acres) · the Harvard State Airport

Schools and health care

Schools: Harvard Public Schools, 506 E. North St.: Harvard Elementary, Middle School and High School

Health care: Harvard Rest Haven, 400 E. 7th St., (402) 772-7591 (nursing home, with The Harvard House assisted living); nearest hospital: Mary Lanning Healthcare, Hastings, about 15 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Clay County (claycounty.ne.gov); City of Sutton; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Johnson, History of Nebraska (1880); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890–91); NEGenWeb Clay County; Newberry Library county atlas; National Register (NRHP nominations); History Nebraska; HMdb; Nebraska Game and Parks; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Rainwater Basin WMD); USDA-ARS; SABR; Visit Nebraska; SchoolDigger. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.