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Howells is a village in northern Colfax County, Nebraska, originally platted in 1886–87 as “Buschville” along the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad before being renamed Howells and incorporated as a village in 1887. Sources differ slightly on the namesake — one account credits local resident James Smith Howell, while another points to surveyor James Howell — but both agree the name honors an early Howell associated with the town’s founding. Nebraska Highway 91 runs directly through Howells. The village is the birthplace of Olympic wrestler Brad Vering, and the Baumert & Bogner building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As of the 2020 census, Howells had a population of 561.
Howells was platted in 1886–87 as Buschville along the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad, then renamed for an early namesake named Howell. It sits on Nebraska Highway 91 and is the birthplace of Olympic wrestler Brad Vering.