SWANTON, SALINE
COUNTY
A hamlet called "Loudon City" was founded in the early
1860s, about two miles west of the present town of Swanton. It had a
church, a post office, a school, a store, and several homes. When the
Nebraska-Colorado Railroad Company constructed a line between DeWitt
and Tobias in 1883, a new town was established in Section 22, and this
hamlet disappeared.
The Lincoln Land Company
purchased land from Charles Caldwell, J. C. Deweese, Albert Cornish,
and C. Shephard. Streets and alleys were laid out, and it was given
the name "Morris." The postal authorities turned the name
down, having just approved town of "Norris" in Cedar county.
(Later a town by that name was approved in Hayes County).
The name "Swanton" was agreed upon, presumably because of
its location on Swan Creek. The post office was officially established
on May 29, 1884. Mail was delivered by rail until the late 1930s when
a Star truck route was established.
A school was also
organized in 1884, and soon consisted of three frame buildings
adjoining each other. A brick school was built in 1909, and by 1913
there were classes for K-12 students. An auditorium was added in 1954,
but by 1961 enrollment had dropped so that the high school classes
were discontinued. In 1966 the Swanton District joined with schools in
Jefferson and Gage counties to form the Tri-County School District.
At one time seven
churches served the Swanton area. The United Methodist Church is the
only survivor. It was organized in 1884, holding services in the
schoolhouse until its church was dedicated in 1891. A United Brethren
Church was built shortly afterwards, but rejoined the Methodists in
1922. The Catholic Church faded from the Swanton community in the
1950s. The East Zion congregation, organized in Section 24 in 1871,
voted to disband in 1981. An Evangelical church, built in 1885, was
torn down in the 1950s. The South Fork German congregation building in
Section 30 in 1874 is said to be the first Methodist church in Saline
County. This church merged with the North Fork congregation in 1921,
building a new church in the town of Western.
The Swanton Cemetery,
organized in 1885, is located south of town in Section 34. Plummer
Branch Cemetery was established in conjunction with the East Zion
congregation east of Swanton. The South Fork Cemetery, located in
Section 19, west of town, contains the oldest marked burial, that of
O. D. Omstead on November 20,1860, which is believed to be the oldest
in Saline County.
The first telephone
exchange was privately owned by several members of the community who
had "shares" in the business. They later sold out to the
Lincoln telephone system. A dial system was installed in the 1950s.
The library was
organized as early as 1890, moving into its own building in 1904.
The Swanton Electric
Company, headed by S. C. Caldwell and Louis Ellermeier, was formed in
1917. It used diesel-powered generators, and served the town until
1931 when the town board voted to purchase electricity from a large
power company.
After a very destructive
fire on Main Street in 1914, a fire company was formed. The present
volunteer fire department was established on October 23, 1936. A rural
department was organized in 1955, and in the 1970s the old Ford garage
was purchased and converted into three-stall fire hall and meeting
rooms.
A water system became a
reality in 1936 when the water tower was built. A sewer system and
lagoon was put in during the mid 1060s
The Bank of Swanson was
one of the few small-town banks in the state that survived the
Depression of the 1930s. This bank still serves the community.
An unusual business, the
Fairmont Cream Separator, was in Swanson for many years. Milk was
collected or brought in by farmers, then separated using
steam-operated equipment. The skim milk was returned to the farms for
livestock consumption and the cream was made into butter.
Swanson celebrated its
centennial in 1984 on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of
the post office. A 68-page history book was published at that time.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL:
Swanson Centennial History Book, 1984.
By Rose Marie Hulse, Rte. 2 Box 28, Exeter, NE 68351 Edited by Jane
Graff, Seaward NE. Transcribed for the Saline county web site by Paul
Mullion.
