Chester Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Chester Area Cameras

Village · Thayer County · Population 224 (2020 census) · ZIP 68327 · Founded 1880 · Peak population 634 (1940)

About Chester

Chester is a village of 224 on the Kansas line in southern Thayer County, where US 81 crosses NE 8, about 11 miles south of Hebron. A sign at the edge of town calls it the home of six-man football, and Chesterfest fills the last weekend of June.

History

The Lincoln Land Company laid out Chester on July 29, 1880, as the Republican Valley branch of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad arrived, and named it for Chester A. Arthur. It was incorporated in 1883 and had about 245 people by 1882. In 1906 the Burlington built a turntable here for the daily passenger train that ran north through Hebron.

In 1934 Stephen Epler, a Chester teacher and coach, worked out six-man football so that schools too small for eleven-man teams could play; the first game, a combined Hardy–Chester team against Belvidere–Alexandria, was played at Hebron on September 26, 1934, and ended 19–19. Epler Bowl trophies are displayed in the municipal auditorium. The population peaked at 634 in 1940, and the 1952–53 boys' basketball team won the Class D state title.

Highways and trails through Chester

Route	One way	Other way
US 81North–south through the village	North to Hebron (about 11 mi) and York	South into Kansas toward Belleville
NE 8East–west through the village	East past Hubbell toward Fairbury	West past Byron toward Superior

Nearby towns

Hubbell	about 6 mi east	NE 8
Byron	about 8 mi west	NE 8
Deshler	about 11 mi north-northwest	US 81 and US 136
Hebron	about 11 mi north	US 81
Gilead	about 14 mi northeast	US 81 and US 136
Reynolds	about 15 mi east-northeast	NE 8

Things to see

The "Home of 6-Man Football" sign and the Epler Bowl trophies in the municipal auditorium · Chester City Park · St. John Lutheran Church · Chester Cemetery · Chesterfest, the last weekend of June, with a main-stage concert

Schools and health care

Schools: Thayer Central Community Schools: Thayer Central Elementary (PK–6), 1020 Eads Ave., and Thayer Central High School (7–12), 930 Eads Ave., in Hebron

Health care: No clinic in Chester; nearest: Thayer County Health Services, 120 Park Ave., Hebron, a 17-bed critical access hospital, with its Hebron Medical Clinic

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.