Harbine Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Jefferson County · Population 54 (2020 census) · ZIP 68377 · Founded 1886 · Peak population 242 (1900)

About Harbine

Harbine is a village of 54 in eastern Jefferson County, on the north side of US 136 where NE 103 turns south to Diller, about 6 miles east of Jansen and 11 miles east-northeast of Fairbury. It shares the Jansen post office and ZIP code.

History

The site was chosen in 1883 on land of Fredrick Sandman, George H. Hansen and Charles Letton, and the town was platted in 1886 as the Rock Island built its line from Horton, Kansas, toward Nelson; a two-story depot followed, and the post office opened on June 21, 1887. The name honors Col. Thomas Harbine, a St. Joseph, Missouri, lawyer, former mayor and state senator who founded a Fairbury bank in 1874; there is no record that he lived here.

German Reformed settlers had organized the Hope congregation on January 14, 1883, and built a church in 1885; it later joined the United Church of Christ. A tornado destroyed the Congregational church in 1903. The population peaked at 242 in 1900, the village was incorporated on January 8, 1914, and its school, District 87, closed in 1969. Mail has come through Jansen since 1972.

Highways and trails through Harbine

Route	One way	Other way
US 136Along the north side of the village	East to Beatrice (about 13 mi)	West past Jansen to Fairbury
NE 103Begins at US 136 here	South to Diller (about 6 mi) and NE 8	North end at US 136

Nearby towns

Jansen	about 6 mi west	US 136
Diller	about 6 mi south-southeast	NE 103
Ellis	about 6 mi east-northeast	US 136
Plymouth	about 8 mi north	County roads
Fairbury	about 11 mi west-southwest	US 136
Beatrice	about 13 mi east-northeast	US 136

Things to see

Hope Church Cemetery · Harbine Cemetery · Zion Lutheran Cemetery · Cub Creek Recreation Area, about 5 mi northwest

Health care

No clinic in Harbine; nearest hospitals: Jefferson Community Health & Life, 2200 H St., Fairbury (the county hospital, with a 24-hour emergency room; called Fairbury Hospital until 2017), or Beatrice Community Hospital, about 13 mi east

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.