The following is from the History of the State of Nebraska by A. T. Andreas.
 
Glenville
 
 
      This little town first sprang into existence in the fall of 1873, and is situated in the western part of Clay County,
      about nine miles east of Hastings. The town is laid off in the center of a Government section of land, which had
      purposely been pre-empted for a town site at the instance of the Town Company, by R. S. Winters, Daniel Fitch
      and Robert Thompson, the site embracing a square of forty acres, taken from the intersecting corners of the four
      quarter-sections.

      The sod claim-houses were the first structures seen on the site until in August, 1872, when the railroad was
      completed to the place and the station and section-house was built. In the next spring, J. W. Sturgis built a
      storeroom and put in a stock of general merchandise, who, together with three or four men in the employ of the
      railroad, were the only inhabitants of the town at this time. During the summer, Charles Clutz came, going in as
      partner with Sturgis. Later in the fall, Bennett Cox erected a storeroom and dwelling, opening the store with a
      general stock of goods, which he operated for about one year, and, in 1879, David Stein and P. H. Cone took
      the building, running a general store. Edward Davis began working in metals, erecting a blacksmith shop in 1878.
      In 1878, Luke Galdenstein built a storehouse for the handling of general goods; H. M. Oliver put up a grain
      elevator and started a lumber and coal yard, and, in the next year, the Keystone Hotel was built by G. Z. Fink,
      who kept it about a year, selling out to a Mr. Warrick, who lived in the house a short time and moved away,
      renting the building to Richard Harris.

      A post office was established at Glenville in June, 1873, and was kept by Joseph Kentner, Postmaster, in Sturgis'
      store. Kentner held the position only a few months, and, in the winter following his appointment, Bennett Cox
      received the commission and the office was taken to his store. Cox continued Postmaster up to the end of 1880,
      and was succeeded by Luke Galdenstein and the office is now kept in his storeroom.

      The earliest religious services were held in Glenville in July, 1873, when a number of the young men of the town
      held a sort of Sunday school in the railroad depot. But a few persons were present on this first day, and it was
      announced that a similar meeting would be held on the next Sunday. When the day came, wagon load after
      wagon load might be seen gathering in from all parts of the country to this rude teaching of the sacred word. On
      this day the house was filled and numbers turned away for want of room. A regular union Sunday school was
      organized and J. W. Small was elected Superintendent, and the school has since continued. The first sermon
      preached in the town was by Rev. Charles Clutz in the depot. Several congregations have been organized in the
      surrounding county, which now hold services in the schoolhouse and Baptist Church in the town. These
      denominations are the Presbyterian, Rev. R. J. Smith, pastor; the American Baptists, Rev. M. Wilson, pastor;
      German Baptists, Rev. Mr. Crane, pastor; Methodist, Rev. F. Campbell, pastor; and the Evangelical
      Association, Dr. Oyler, of Harvard, pastor, and the Catholics, who are occasionally ministered unto in holy things
      by the priest from Hastings.

      The first and only church house that has been erected in the place was that built by the Baptists in the winter of
      1881-82. It is a small, one-story frame, costing about $1,000, and was dedicated April 23, 1882. A school
      district was organized in the town in the winter of 1871-72, and R. Thompson, D. Fitch and R. S. Winters
      composed the School Board.

      A contract to build the schoolhouse was given to W. D. Young, at that time a partner of Thompson, one of the
      board, for which he was to receive the bonds of the district to the amount of $3,350, at 10 per cent interest. The
      contract was then sub-let by Young to Ramsey, who was to complete the house and furnish all the material for
      $1,200. The bonds turned over to Young were sold to New York parties, and have since been nearly all paid
      off, amounting, with the interest, to something like $5,000, making that virtually the cost of the house, which,
      together with the furniture, did not cost one-fourth that amount. Just where the profits went one is left to
      conjecture. During that last term, the school enrolled sixty pupils.

      The first death in the place was Elizabeth Carroll, the wife of George Carroll, a section-boss on the railroad, and
      the first child born was Thomas, the son of these parties.

      The town at present numbers about twenty-five houses in all, and has a population of about fifty. Of business
      houses, it has one general merchandise, one drug, one hardware, one grain elevator, lumber and coal yard.

      The town is situated in a fine fertile prairie district, well settled and improved. For its future promise much cannot
      be predicted, from its nearness to other and better towns, which naturally must drain the bulk of the trade, leaving
      Glenville with only a small territory and limited trade for its support, and from these considerations it is safe to
      judge for the future that the town will attain little growth beyond its present proportions.
 



 

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