Saunders County
Yesterday and Today

      The courthouse grounds were used on July 4, 1893, when rain caused every other site to be inundated for a picnic sponsored by the Catholics - A.O.U.W., but everyone attended.

      The grounds are also filled with many historic items.

      Submarine - Each October one can find the Nebraska-Wahoo Chapter of the U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II conducting memorial service at the site of the memorial on the Courthouse lawn on the east side in Wahoo. The first dedication was made on September 9, 1962, by the U.S. Submarine Veterans with the cooperation of Wahoo veterans and citizens. This memorial honors the 80 crewmen lost aboard the submarine Wahoo, October 11, 1943, in La Pereuec Strait. From among that crew honored were Robert J. Jasa of Wahoo and Donald Smith of Humboldt. Each October a memorial service is held for the Wahoo crewmen as well to honor the crewmen of the other 51 submarines lost in World War II.

Submarine Wahoo

      In June 1968, a Historical Marker was placed on the east side of the Courthouse lawn. It was a two-year project of the Saunders County Historical Society, the Wahoo Lions Club, and the city of Wahoo. The Historical Marker contains information on the early history of the county and county seat, a statement on Wahoo's five famous sons, about the Wahoo name, and how, in 1883, the Swedish Settlers established a school.

Historical Marker

      Eternal Flame memorial east of the courthouse was erected in 1969, and dedicated on Friday, May 30th of that year. This memorial was financed by eleven Posts and presented to the citizens of Saunders County in observance of the American Legion's Fiftieth Anniversary.

Eternal Flame

      The eleven Legion Posts unanimously agreed to extinguish the gas flame during the present difficult time of energy shortages.

      County American Legion Commander, Richard Shimerka of Prague, relates that appropriate relighting ceremonies will be held when the energy crisis is ended.

      Two markers by U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey tell that Wahoo is 1,214.2 feet above sea level.

      Stone marker, set in 1930, is in memorial to Dr. E.O. Weber.

      Stone cornice pieces (on east lawn) were removed from the roof of the building when it was extended and saved because they are so interesting.

      Pine trees were planted as memorials.

      Other than memorials, there were buildings on the lawn. An old jail used to be on the southeast corner. The present jail was erected in April, 1930, when George W. Harmon, Frank Houfek and Martin Swanson were County Commissioners.

      Also in the southeast corner, a boiler building once stood.

      The first courthouse at Wahoo was built in 1874. The first steps were taken on April 5. The building was completed November 14, 1874, except for the chimneys.

      Because the old courthouse became inadequate, it was decided to build a new structure. A plan was inaugurated in 1890 for construction of a new county building but the matter was dropped due to opposition. The first issue then came up again in August of 1903, but not until the election was held Nov. 3, 1903 did the bond issue pass.

      The courthouse is a real study in history. Its cornerstone was laid June 2, 1904. As you enter the main door to the east and climb the marble stairway, you can view murals which tell the story of our county pioneers.

      Two Chicago artists traveled to Wahoo in 1904, commissioned to put the story of the settlement of the county on the walls. On the south wall of the stairway is the original courthouse flanked on each side by bridges of the county. According to Joe Hradsky, long-time custodian, "On the north side, a Conestoga wagon with a team of 4 oxen bumps its way west through the prairie dust to our area under the direction of a sun-hardened pioneer. On each side of the wagon mural are Indians as seen by the artists on their journey to Wahoo."

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      Ionic columns, cast in white clay and stained to a wooden hue, separate the murals. The decorated ceiling is separated from the walls by gilded woodwork that has never been retouched.

      In the Co. Board of Supervisors Chamber are found smaller murals. On one wall is a picture of the first County Courthouse in Ashland. Another painting is the artist's conception of a sod house. It was modeled after an old sod house which was still standing on the Tom Konecky farm, 3 1/2 miles west of Wahoo.

      The present site of the building was an old Otoe Indian Cemetery. "When they dug the foundation, " Hradsky tells, "they found lots of bones from the cemetery."

      All the county records since 1970 are stored in a steel, fireproof vault deep under the building.

      There are 142 steps to the cupola; then there is a dome over this.

      In 1966, the bricks on the outside were sandblasted and repainted. A canopy has been added over the south entrance and a weather protective door at the north entrance.

Saunders County Courthouse - Wahoo

   

ACTIVE - SAUNDERS COUNTY POST OFFICES

Ashland (Cass County) 1886		Memphis
Cedar Bluffs		Morse Bluff
Ceresco		Prague
Colon - (Colan)		Valparaiso
Ithaca		Wahoo
Leshara		Weston - (Troy)
Malmo		Yutan - (Clear Creek)
Mead - (Alvin, Saunders)
		Josephine L. Jenny

Post Office - Wahoo

Discontinued Saunders County Post Offices
Established	Name	Postmaster	Discontinued	Precinct - Location
1869	Pohocco	J.H. Staats	February 9, 1871	Pohocco
1870	Lone Valley	Andrew J. Jamison	March 2, 1874
1870	Attica	Lucius W. Godfrey	Aug. 28, 1872
1871	Lothair	Ira Mowers	March 6, 1872	Center
1872	Ash Bluff	Patrick Bennett	April 17, 1873
1873	Strauss (4 mos.)	Gustin Flint	July 21, 1873
1869	Eldred	John H. Eldred	Sept. 25, 1874	Center, Sec. 26 NW 1/4
1868	Benton	James R. Swan	April 23, 1877
1873	Bradford	Hiram Chubb	July 15, 1879
1874	Wantiska to Crowder	George A. Newmann	Apr. 1, 1879
1868	Headland	Jaspar Richardson	Oct. 31, 1877	Union
1870	Platteville	Nathaniel Pascoe	March 19, 1879	Pohocco
1878	Rose Hill	John M. Rogers	Sept. 24, 1879	Richland, Sec. 32 NW 1/4
1872	Slavania to Cedar Hill	B.P. Rice	March 10, 1888	Bohemia, Sec. 36
1875	Clayton	Kennedy M. Dickson	Nov. 8, 1883
1869	Esteina	Wm. H. Esty	June 22, 1883	Union, Sec. 7
1875	ISLA	Jacob H. Short	Nov. 11, 1886	Mariposa, Sec. 10, NW 1/4
1870	Milton	Donald W. Folsom	March 29, 1886	Green, Sec. 8, SE 1/4
1872	Willow Creek	Chas. B. Baldwin	March 10, 1888	Chester, Sec. 14, SW 1/4
1880	Chaslaw	James Cuda	August 3, 1882
1883	Edensburgh	John P. Nyquist	Nov. 3, 1886	Mariposa, Sec. 27, NE 1/4
1884	Veda	Levi W. Butter	Dec. 28, 1887	Green, Sec. 33
1872	Newton	Benjamin Sterns	April 6, 1894	Elk, Sec. 30, SW 1/4
1874	* Rescue Re-established March 11, 1903 Discontinued - October 31, 1933	Milton M. Runyan	July 31, 1900	Chester, Sec. 20, NE 1/4
1877	Pilsen (Polstam, a few months)	Henry Fisher
1884	Plasi	Frank Kubik	April 14, 1904	Elk, Sec. 15, SW 1/4
1870	Sand Creek	Robt. Fleming	July 31, 1903	Douglas, Sec. 22
1908	Wann	Chas G. Miller	Sept. 30, 1950	Marble, Sec. 36
1892	Touhy	Samuel Glassborn	1959	Newman, Sec. 35
1873	Swedeburg	Jerome Barnell	1972	Stockburg Sec. 33 SW 1/4
1873	Melrose	H.J. McKee	Jan. 1884

"1868" 6'x8' Post Office North of Malmo

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