Fairbury Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Jefferson County · County seat · Population 3,970 (2020 census) · ZIP 68352 · Founded 1869 · Peak population 6,395 (1950)

About Fairbury

Fairbury is the seat of Jefferson County, a city of 3,970 on the Little Blue River where US 136 crosses NE 15. It has the county courthouse, Jefferson Community Health & Life, Fairbury Public Schools and a ten-block historic downtown, and Rock Creek Station State Historical Park, on the Oregon Trail, is about 6 miles southeast.

History

Woodford G. McDowell and James B. Mattingly laid out the town in 1869, each giving 80 acres, and McDowell named it for his former home, Fairbury, Illinois; Mattingly was the first postmaster. Fairbury became the county seat in 1871, was incorporated in 1872 and became a second-class city in 1875. The St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad, later the Union Pacific, which still serves the town, arrived in 1872, and fires burned parts of the business district in 1879 and 1880.

The Chicago, Kansas & Nebraska, a Rock Island line, reached Fairbury in 1886, and the town became the headquarters of the Rock Island's Western Division for nearly 80 years, until the offices moved to Des Moines in 1965; Rock Island service ended in 1980. The population peaked at 6,395 in 1950. People born in Fairbury include actress Irene Worth, Lulu Graves, first president of the American Dietetic Association, Marine general Lowell E. English and Cubs pitcher Doyle Lade.

Highways and trails through Fairbury

Route	One way	Other way
US 136 (14th St.)East–west through the city	East past Jansen and Harbine to Beatrice (about 24 mi)	West past Gladstone to Hebron
NE 15 (K St.)North–south through the city	North past Western and Dorchester to I-80 at Seward (about 50 mi)	South to the Kansas line (about 7 mi), continuing as K-15
NE 8Joins NE 15 on the south side of the city	Southwest to Reynolds and Hubbell	Southeast across the Little Blue to Steele City

Nearby towns

Jansen	about 6 mi east-northeast	US 136
Endicott	about 6 mi southeast	County roads
Gladstone	about 7 mi west	US 136
Powell	about 8 mi northwest	County roads
Reynolds	about 10 mi southwest	NE 8
Steele City	about 11 mi southeast	NE 8
Harbine	about 11 mi east-northeast	US 136
Diller	about 13 mi east	US 136 and NE 103
Daykin	about 14 mi north-northwest	NE 15 and NE 4
Hebron	about 22 mi west	US 136
Beatrice	about 24 mi east-northeast	US 136

Things to see

The Jefferson County Courthouse, 411 4th St. (completed 1892 to designs by J. C. Holland of Topeka; National Register), with Pony Express and Oregon Trail markers on the grounds · the Fairbury Commercial Historic District around the square (National Register) · the Rock Island Depot Railroad Museum, 910 Bacon Rd., in the 1913–14 depot (National Register; Friday–Sunday 1–5), with the Jefferson County Historical Society and a model railroad upstairs · the Fairbury City Museum, 1128 Elm St. (Saturday and Sunday 1–4) · the Fairbury Public Library, 601 7th St., in its 1909 Carnegie building (National Register) · City Park, with the Frontier Fun Park playground, and the Fairbury Aquatic Center · Crystal Springs Park and Campground, 73 acres around spring-fed lakes stocked with trout, with 42 campsites · the Smith Lime Kiln and Limestone House, 2 mi northwest on River Rd. (1874–76; National Register) · Flathead WMA, 1 mi south · Rock Creek Station State Historical Park, about 6 mi southeast · the George Winslow grave of 1849, about 4–5 mi north-northwest · Fairbury Country Club · the Jefferson County Fair in July and Rock Creek Trail Days in June

Events in Fairbury

Jefferson County Fair
Jefferson County Fair, a county fair in Fairbury, Nebraska.
Rock Creek Trail Days
Rock Creek Trail Days is held in Fairbury, Nebraska, in early June.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Fairbury Public Schools: Central Elementary (PK–2), 808 F St.; Jefferson Intermediate (3–6), 924 K St.; and Fairbury Jr.-Sr. High (7–12), 1501 9th St.

Health care: Jefferson Community Health & Life, 2200 H St., Fairbury (the county hospital, with a 24-hour emergency room; called Fairbury Hospital until 2017); its Family Medicine Clinic, Gardenside long-term care and Cedarwood Assisted Living, 828 22nd St.

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890–91); Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names; History Nebraska and its historical markers; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Little Blue and Lower Big Blue NRDs; Nebraska Department of Transportation; NEGenWeb Jefferson County; Visit Oregon Trail (Jefferson County tourism); city, village, school, museum and hospital websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.