Center Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Village · Knox County · County seat · Population 73 (2020 census) · ZIP 68724 · Founded 1901 · Peak population 198 (1920)

About Center

Center is the county seat of Knox County, a village of 73 on NE 84 where NE 13 ends, near the geographic middle of the county. The 1934 Knox County Courthouse is on Main Street. Creighton, 9 miles south, is the nearest town with a hospital and services.

History

Niobrara, on the Missouri at the county's northern edge, was the county seat from 1857. After years of argument, voters on November 6, 1900, chose a site near the geographic center of the county in Valley Township. Settlers James Lovell and William Wieschendorf donated the land, and Main Street was laid on the line between their farms. Center was platted in 1901, the county seat moved here in 1902, and the village was incorporated in 1904. Its population peaked at 198 in 1920.

The first courthouse was a two-story frame building. The present Knox County Courthouse, designed by E. B. Watson of Norfolk, was built from February to October 1934; it was the first public building in Nebraska to use federal Civil Works Administration and FERA relief funds, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Center celebrated its 125th anniversary on September 12, 2026.

Highways and trails through Center

Route	One way	Other way
NE 84Main Street through Center	West to Verdigre (about 10 mi)	East to Bloomfield (about 12 mi) and Hartington (about 32 mi)
NE 13Ends at NE 84 just south of town	South to Creighton (9 mi) and Plainview (about 22 mi)	Ends at NE 84

Nearby towns

Bazile Mills	about 6 mi south	NE 13 and a county road
Creighton	9 mi south	NE 13
Verdigre	about 10 mi west	NE 84
Bloomfield	about 12 mi east	NE 84
Niobrara	about 22 mi north	NE 84 west to Verdigre, then NE 14 north

Things to see

Knox County Courthouse, 206 Main St. (National Register; offices open weekdays) · Bazile Creek on the edge of the village

Health care

Nearest hospital Avera Creighton Hospital, Creighton (about 9 mi)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; History Nebraska; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Knox County; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.

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