DeWitt Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Saline County · Population 530 (2020 census) · ZIP 68341 · Founded 1872 · Peak population 751 (1890)

About DeWitt

DeWitt is a village of 530 in southeastern Saline County on NE 103, about a mile west of the Big Blue River and 6 miles south of Wilber. Tri County Public Schools uses a DeWitt address, and the village has the Burkley Library, a pool and two museums.

History

DeWitt was founded in 1872, when the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad was completed from Crete to Beatrice. The townsite was first called Dennison, for the land company's secretary, and renamed for his friend Rev. DeWitt Talmage of the Brooklyn Tabernacle after Dennison gave $500 to the local Congregational church. People from Swan City, the first county seat 2 miles away, moved their homes and businesses here and to Wilber. A fire burned most of the business district in January 1875, the village was incorporated in 1881, and the population peaked at 751 in 1890.

Blacksmith William Petersen, a Danish immigrant, patented his locking pliers on April 8, 1924, and Petersen Manufacturing, formed in 1934, built the Vise-Grip in DeWitt for decades. The family sold the company in 1985, and the plant closed on October 31, 2008, when production moved to China. In 2018 Malco Products began making Eagle Grip locking pliers in the same building.

Highways and trails through DeWitt

Route	One way	Other way
NE 103Through the village	North to Wilber (about 6 mi) and Crete	South past Tri County Public Schools to NE 4 near Plymouth

Nearby towns

Swan City	about 1.9 mi west-northwest	NE 103
Clatonia	about 6 mi northeast	County roads
Wilber	about 6 mi north-northwest	NE 103
Plymouth	about 7 mi south-southwest	NE 103 and NE 4
Swanton	about 8 mi west	County roads
Beatrice	about 13 mi southeast	NE 103 and NE 4

Things to see

The Swan City historical marker on NE 103, about 2 mi northwest, near the site of the first county seat · A Touch of the Past Museum, 705 E. Beatrice Ave., with a large arrowhead collection (by appointment) · the DeWitt Historical Society (402-683-5815) · the Bob and Wauneta Burkley Library, 208 E. Fillmore Ave. · DeWitt Days and the Fourth of July celebration

Schools and health care

Schools: Tri County Public Schools: Tri County Elementary and Tri County Jr.-Sr. High School, one building at 72520 NE 103, south of DeWitt (the campus is just across the line in Jefferson County)

Health care: No clinic in DeWitt; nearest: Wilber Medical Clinic, 203 W. 4th St., Wilber; hospitals: Crete Area Medical Center (Bryan Health), 2910 Betten Dr., Crete, a 15-bed critical access hospital opened in 2003; or Beatrice Community Hospital, about 13 mi southeast

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Saline County and NEGenWeb Saline County histories; History Nebraska and its historical markers; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Lower Big Blue NRD; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Bryan Health; city, village, school, museum and hospital websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.