Nebraska County Countdown: #14 Adams County

For some reason I keep picking the counties in the south central part of the state. It not that I have spent a lot of time down there. It’s not even that I have an affinity for the area. I guess it is my lot in life to dedicate my time this summer educating (yet poorly) everyone on the wonders of it.

Today we get to look into the wonders of Adams county Nebraska. A delightful little square piece of land that is smack dab in south central Nebraska. If you know were Grand Island is then just go south of there and you will find this little gem on the prairie.

In Adams county you have the delightful city of Hastings. Some may not look upon Hastings as a city but I think it has done more than enough to merit that status. If you ever get the chance I recommend stopping by the Barrel Bar in town. It has been a few years since I have entered the establishment but it was a very nice establishment and should still be.

If you are looking for a good place to grab a burger then you have to stop by Murphy’s Wagon Wheel downtown. The establishment has been there since the 1890’s and is still going strong.

Now, on to the Husker lore of Adams County.

The great Halfback Johnny Bell came from Hasting in 1899 to play for the Scarlet and Cream and he played at least until 1904. Yes, that is 5 years but I do not think the amount of time you played on the team was sanctioned by any government body at that point in time. The NCAA wasn’t formed until 1910 and the conferences were basically lose affiliations that higher educational systems used to play each other.

Many players came and went a bit from the teams back then so the fact that Johnny had such dedication to the universities’ football team is to be admired.

There’s also another great Husker that I am having a hard time coming up with. Ugh, I hate it when I can’t remember a name. I can see his face. He was a successful coach. He’s the reason why we do no serve alcohol in the stadium.....Oh yes, now I remember.

Hastings is home to Hastings College. Where, if you have any Nebraskan in you, is where our beloved Thomas Osborne was born, raised, and graduated. Tom also received his undergrad from the prestigious Hastings College in 1959 where he played football and basketball for the Broncos.

While he did not play for our beloved Huskers he did take what the great Bob Devaney started and kept it going for 25 years. So, lets just consider him to be “THE GREATEST” Huskers to come out of Adams County.

Outside of Hastings you have a lot of towns, villages, and unincorporated communities. More than what is warranted most counties in the state. Here is a list of them via wikipedia:

Holstein

Juniata

Prosser

Trumbull

Assumption

Hansen

Hayland

Ingleside

Pauline

Ayr

Blaine

Cottonwood

Denver

Hanover

Highland

Kenesaw

Little Blue

Logan

Roseland

Silver Lake

Verona

Wanda

West Blue

Zero

That’s 24 total jurisdictions for those of you counting at home. While all of them I assure you are quite nice only one, Hastings, has the privilege of being the county seat. The entire county is roughly 31,684 people and was named after our second president of the United States, John Adams.