Bruning Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Thayer County · Population 285 (2020 census) · ZIP 68322 · Founded 1887 · Peak population 374 (1940)

About Bruning

Bruning is a village of 285 in northern Thayer County, just east of US 81 where NE 4 turns east, about 12 miles north of Hebron. It has Bruning Bank, founded in 1891, the 1907 Bruning Opera House and Bruning-Davenport High School.

History

Bruning was established in 1887 as a town on the railroad and named for Frank Bruning, an early settler. The German Bank, now Bruning Bank, opened in 1891, and Herman Bruning Jr. built the opera house in 1907; it now serves as the community hall and library.

In 1942–43 the Army built Bruning Army Air Field on 1,480 acres east of town, where B-24 bomber crews and P-47 fighter pilots trained; the population reached 374 in 1940. On October 22, 1960, Ed Yost made the first free flight of a modern hot-air balloon from the old airfield, staying aloft 25 minutes and traveling about 3 miles.

Highways and trails through Bruning

Route	One way	Other way
US 81Just west of the village, by Spur S-85C	North to Geneva and York	South past Belvidere to Hebron
NE 4Shares about a mile with US 81 here	East toward Daykin and Plymouth	West to Carleton and Davenport

Nearby towns

Strang	about 6 mi north-northwest	US 81
Belvidere	about 6 mi south	US 81
Carleton	about 7 mi west-southwest	NE 4
Ohiowa	about 8 mi northeast	County roads
Alexandria	about 11 mi east-southeast	NE 4 and NE 53
Hebron	about 12 mi south	US 81
Geneva	about 13 mi north	US 81

Things to see

The Bruning Opera House (1907), now the community hall and library · the Bruning Army Air Field and Ed Yost balloon markers, in a pull-out on NE 4 about 6 mi east · Bruning Dam (Little Blue NRD), about 3½ mi east-northeast, with free primitive camping and fishing · Dry Sandy, Father Hupp and Prairie Marsh wildlife management areas nearby

Schools and health care

Schools: Bruning-Davenport Unified System: Bruning-Davenport High School (9–12) and the youngest grades at 340 Carroll St., Bruning; Bruning-Davenport Middle School (5–8) and grades 2–4 at 106 N. Juniper Ave., Davenport

Health care: Bruning Medical Clinic, 108 S. Fillmore St. (Thayer County Health Services); hospital: Thayer County Health Services, 120 Park Ave., Hebron, a 17-bed critical access hospital

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Who's Who in Nebraska, Thayer County (1940); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1917); History Nebraska and its historical markers; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Little Blue NRD; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Heritage Highway 136; village, school, museum and hospital websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.