Unadilla Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Otoe County · Population 296 (2020 census) · ZIP 68454 · Founded 1871 · Peak population 342 (2000)

About Unadilla

Unadilla is a village of 296 in western Otoe County, just south of NE 2 about 5 miles west-northwest of Syracuse. Since 1988 it has been the "Groundhog Capital of Nebraska," and its Groundhog Day celebration brings a forecast, a parade and the crowning of a king and queen each February. Its Main Street business block is on the National Register.

History

In 1864 James Wallen's family took up the county's 24th homestead here and kept a halfway house for freighters. Strite and Catherine Axtell platted the town in May 1871 as the Midland Pacific came through, and the first house went up in 1872, when the post office opened. The name comes from Unadilla, New York. Residents built a stockyard and a depot in 1874 and gave them to the railroad, the Otoe County Graphic began in 1881, and the Bank of Unadilla formed in 1888.

A 1908 flood killed six people. A 1911 fire burned every business but a grocery and the bank, and Main Street was rebuilt over the next two years; that block became the Unadilla Main Street Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1995. The high school closed in 1958, and the village school district joined Syracuse in 2004. The lieutenant governor proclaimed Unadilla the Groundhog Capital of Nebraska in 1988.

Highways and trails through Unadilla

Route	One way	Other way
NE 2Four-lane, along the north edge of the village	East to Syracuse (about 5 mi) and Nebraska City	West to Palmyra and Lincoln

Nearby towns

Syracuse	about 4.8 mi east-southeast	NE 2
Palmyra	about 7 mi west-northwest	NE 2
Otoe	about 8 mi east-northeast	County roads
Douglas	about 9 mi southwest	County roads
Woodland Hills	about 9 mi west-northwest	NE 2 and NE 43
Burr	about 10 mi south	County roads
Bennet	about 12 mi west	NE 2
Lincoln	about 24 mi west-northwest	NE 2

Things to see

The Unadilla Main Street Historic District, Main St. between G and H Sts. (National Register, 1995) · the Groundhog Day Celebration: forecast on February 2 and a Saturday parade and crowning (February 7 in 2026) · Mal's Bar & Grill, 359 Main St., home of the forecaster Unadilla Billie · Unadilla Community Library, 770 G St. · Unadilla Day, the village's June birthday party since 1971

Events in Unadilla

Unadilla Groundhog Day Celebration
Unadilla Groundhog Day Celebration is held in Unadilla, Nebraska, on the first weekend of February.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Schools: Elementary School at Syracuse, 550 7th St. (PK–3); Middle School at Syracuse, 1430 Education Dr. (4–8); High School at Syracuse, 1500 Education Dr. (9–12)

Health care: No clinic in Unadilla; Syracuse Area Health is about 5 mi east

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Johnson, History of Nebraska (1880); History Nebraska; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Nebraska DHHS hospital roster; village, school, library and museum websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.