Waverly, Nebraska at age 114 is rapidly booming with new inhabitants arriving from all over the U.S. as well as the world. Waverly has been a center for agricultural and industrial growth since the mid 1800s. Waverly, Nebraska was officially incorporated as a village in 1885. The name "Waverly" was from the novel "Waverly", written by Sir Walter Scott. Waverly, like most villages in the 1800s owes its creation to the railroad. Once the Burlington and Missouri Railroads were completed in 1869, Waverly was settled. A railroad that led to Stevens was completed in 1870 and brought the first commerce and the first settler John S. Green, who opened a local general store in the 1870s.
Waverly has been affected by many wars including the Civil, WWI and WWII. Yet many members of Waverly did not participate in these wars, they were vary active supporting them. The Civil War prevented Nebraska from becoming a state in the late 1860s, but congress passed the petition on March 1st, 1867; the birth of our sate. WWI brought widespread shortage of food and supplies. The first girls' 4-H club was started in the summer of 1918. The girls were referred to as the War Bread Club, they saved back flour and sugar between meetings, at one time during meetings they saved 41 pounds or 164¼. During WWII Waverly was very strong in public support, and when the 3 year war ended Waverly was stronger and richer than ever, at a new peak.
The 1900s have brought great improvements to Waverly as the century closes, there is a lot to look back on. At the turn of the century Waverly was populated with about 260 settlers. In 1900 the first automobile appeared in Waverly, bringing with a new era of technology. In 1918, an agreement was reached for a new elementary and high school, followed by district consolidation in 1919. In 1921 the new school was finished. In 1922 Waverly's Corn Club was the largest agricultural club in the state at 22 members, lead by Mr. Spidel. In 1950 another survey was taken and revealed 310 inhabitants, and in 1996 respectively 511. After In 1997, 80 years later the new Waverly High School at Amberly road was plotted and in 1998 was finished for the 98-99 school year. The current ____ people now populating Waverly shows growth but, that Waverly has been and will always be a rural community focused mainly on Agriculture and other methods of development in providing for others as well as themselves.
The history of Waverly begins with the coming of the Burlington railroad. In 1869, the roadbed was graded and by July 4th, 1870, the rails were laid as far as Stevens Creek. This occasioned a great celebration in the sparsely settled city of Lincoln, which was connected with the railroad by a stage line until the road was finished the following year. The depot at Waverly was built in 1871 and became the social center of the community, as dances and singing schools were held there. This depot still stands practically unchanged.
The coming of the railroad was a great help to the early settlers in more ways than one. It furnished work for which they could get real money and the gangs with their horses and mules provided a market for the great quantities of prairie hay which grew so profusely and could be had for the cutting. The caring for hay, however, was not the simple work of today. Mowing machines were expensive and there was very little money, so much of it was moved with scythes, raked with homemade rakes, and stacked with pitchforks.
The town plot was filed for record October 8, 1870, the plot being made by D. N. Smith and the survey by M. Wilsie. The streets running east and west were named for Sir Walter Scott's novels, the one past Reiner's Garage and west being Kenilworth Avenue. The north and south streets were named for trees, the one which the post office now stands being Larch.
In 1869 or '70, John Green settled here and started a store, and was appointed postmaster in 1871. Prior to this time all supplies and, until a short time before, all mail, was obtained at Plattsmouth or Nebraska City. Some of the earlier letters were simply directed to Salt Creek, Nebraska Territory.
In these early days there were no physicians here and the sick were cared for by friendly neighbors, or any special case called for the ministrations of Grandma Wong or Mother McClusky. In the last sickness of William Tiger, father of John Tiger, he was afflicted with boils, and Mother McClusky treated them by smashing them with a razor. When Mr. Tiger died, in 1869, some neighbor men made his casket of cottonwood boards.
In 1870, Wm. Eardman was postmaster and had a small stove near where the railroad crosses Camp Creek. Pete Walker then lived on the farm now owned by Ed Cooley and Mrs. Walker says that she often went to this store or to Greenwood on horseback and carried a kettle of eggs.
The first business enterprises in the town were: John Green, store, 1870; John Berg, blacksmith, 1872, James Walker and James Schofield, store and elevator; A. Cook, lumber yard and hotel, 1874; Harry Wills, meat market, 1876; A. Cook moved here from Canada and brought twelve carloads of lumber. Previous to this time it had been freighted from Nebraska City.
In 1878, there were 24 buildings in town, including business houses and residences.
Copyright © 1995 City of Lincoln, Nebraska, USA