Beatrice () is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Gage County,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, United States. Its population was 12,459 at the 2010 census. Beatrice is located approximately 25 miles south of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

on the Big Blue River and is surrounded by agricultural country.

History

Gage County was one of the 19 counties originally established by the

Nebraska Territorial Legislature The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855 until 1865 in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory. Major issues Slavery In 1854 the Kansas–Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Missouri Compromise b ...

in 1854. At the time of its establishment, there were no settlers living within its boundaries. In 1857, the steamboat ''Hannibal'', carrying 300 passengers up the Missouri River from St. Louis, Missouri to

Nebraska City, Nebraska Nebraska City is a city in Nebraska, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated ...

, ran aground near

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

. While it was stranded, 35 of the passengers agreed to form the "Nebraska Association", under which name they would unite in seeking a townsite and establishing a settlement in the territory. After reaching Nebraska City, the Association divided itself into two exploratory parties, one of which went directly westward and the other southwest. The latter party located the site of Beatrice, at the point where the DeRoin Trail crossed the Big Blue River, and the whole Association decided to settle there. The settlement was named after Julia Beatrice Kinney, the 17-year-old daughter of Judge John F. Kinney, a member of the Association. The Territorial Legislature selected Beatrice as the county seat of Gage County in 1857. The decision was challenged by Blue Springs, but was confirmed by the Legislature in 1859. In 1864, the Legislature dissolved the original Clay County (not the current

Clay County, Nebraska Clay County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 6,542. Its county seat is Clay Center. The county was formed in 1855, and was organized in 1871. It was named for Henry Clay, a memb ...

), dividing its land between Gage and Lancaster Counties. The addition of this ground in the north placed Beatrice near the center of the enlarged county, strengthening its claim to the county seat. It continues to hold that position today.

Homestead Act

In 1862, the U.S. Congress passed the

Homestead Act The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of t ...

, which allowed settlers to claim of government land for a nominal fee. The law went into effect on January 1, 1863. Just after midnight on that day,

Daniel Freeman Daniel Freeman (April 26, 1826 – December 30, 1908) was an American homesteader and Civil War veteran. He was recognized as the first person to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862. Freeman was also the plaintiff in a landmark sepa ...

persuaded a clerk to open the local Land Office so that he could file a claim for a homestead located west of Beatrice. His is regarded as the first of the 417 applications filed that day. In 1936, Congress created

Homestead National Monument of America Homestead National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park System known as the Homestead National Monument of America prior to 2021, commemorates passage of the Homestead Act of 1862, which allowed any qualified person to claim up to of fed ...

on the site of Freeman's claim.

Early development

The Big Blue River was both a help and a hindrance to the development of Beatrice. It provided the town with a water source, and produced ample power to operate the mills that were among the town's first industries. However, it represented a major obstacle to travelers on the Oregon Trail route; and floods frequently destroyed the dams and bridges in the area. Not until 1890 was a Big Blue bridge built in Beatrice that could survive for decades. In 1871, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad constructed a line from

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United ...

to Beatrice. In 1879, the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

built a line joining Beatrice to

Marysville, Kansas Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,447. History Marysville was laid out in 1855 by Francis J. Marshall, and designated in that sam ...

. By 1890, the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

had also run tracks through Beatrice. The former international foods conglomerate,

Beatrice Foods Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company founded in 1894. In 1987, its international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney, creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of ...

, (now a part of

ConAgra Foods Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restauran ...

) was founded in Beatrice in 1894 as The Beatrice Creamery Company, by George Everett Haskell and William W. Bosworth.

Beatrice State Developmental Center

In 1885, the Nebraska legislature enacted legislation to establish the Institution for Feeble Minded Youth near Beatrice, subject to the city's donating a suitable parcel of land. Beatrice donated 40 acres, located east of the city limits, and the first residents were admitted in 1887. Over the following decades, the institution expanded greatly. By 1935, there were 1171 residents living on . The institution was largely self-supporting, operating a farm on which the residents did much of the work; in 1935, were under cultivation. In 1945, the institution was renamed the Beatrice State Home. Its resident population peaked at about 2300 in the late 1960s. From there it declined: new restrictions had been imposed on the use of unpaid labor by residents of institutions, and there was a national trend toward

deinstitutionalization Deinstitutionalisation (or deinstitutionalization) is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability. In the la ...

. In 1975, the ''Horacek v.

Exon An exon is any part of a gene that will form a part of the final mature RNA produced by that gene after introns have been removed by RNA splicing. The term ''exon'' refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene and to the corresponding sequen ...

'' lawsuit was settled with a consent decree whereunder many of the residents of the Beatrice State Home were transferred to community-based mental health facilities. In that year, the institution's name was changed to the current Beatrice State Developmental Center. A 2006 investigation by the federal

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer M ...

revealed a number of severe deficiencies at the Center; after two years of appeals, the Center lost its

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...

certification in 2009. As of 2011, the Center served about 175 clients. The majority had been diagnosed with "severe" or "profound" retardation; nearly all suffered from two or more other disabling conditions. On June 11, 2022 five separate tornadoes touched down here according to the radar as well as local officials. Detailed map of Beatrice, Nebraska

Geography

Beatrice is located at (40.268449, -96.743192). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 12,459 people, 5,509 households, and 3,296 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 6,075 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino people of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 5,509 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 42.6 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 12,496 people, 5,395 households, and 3,301 families living in the city. The

was 1,666.7 people per square mile (643.3/km). There were 5,818 housing units at an average density of 776.0 per square mile (299.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 97.50%

, 0.34%

, 0.45% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.30% from

, and 1.05% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.96% of the population. There were 5,395 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $33,735, and the median income for a family was $42,472. Males had a median income of $29,976 versus $21,303 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,816. About 7.0% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Area attractions

* Beatrice Speedway * Gage County Museum, housed in the 1906 Burlington Railroad Depot and operated by the Gage County Historical Society *

* Homestead Trail * Community Players Theatre

Notable people

George D. Baker George Duane Baker (April 22, 1868 – June 2, 1933) was an American motion picture director whose career began near the dawn of the silent film era. Early life He was born at Champaign, Illinois on April 22, 1868. He was the second son and third ...

(1868–1933), motion picture director of the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era * The Beatrice Six, a group of people wrongly convicted in 1989 of a 1985 rape and murder, exonerated in 2009 *

Eudora Stone Bumstead Eudora Bumstead (, Stone; August 26, 1860 – 1892) was a 19th-century American poet and hymnwriter, remembered as "the children's poet". She began writing rhymes in childhood, and when ten years old was paid for a poem entitled, "Signs of Spring ...

(1860–1892), poet, hymnwriter *

Clara Bewick Colby Clara Dorothy Bewick Colby (1 August 1846 – 7 September 1916) was a British-American lecturer, newspaper publisher and correspondent, women's rights activist, and suffragist leader. Born in England, she immigrated to the US, where she attended ...

(1846–1916), author *

Gene L. Coon Eugene Lee Coon (January 7, 1924 – July 8, 1973) was an American screenwriter, television producer and novelist. He is best remembered for his work on the original ''Star Trek'' as a screenwriter, story editor, and showrunner from the mid ...

(1924–1973), screenwriter and television producer *

Jim Faulkner James Leroy Faulkner (July 27, 1899 in Beatrice, Nebraska – June 1, 1962 in West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of t ...

(1899–1962), baseball player * John P. Fulton (1902–1966), special effects supervisor and cinematographer *

Jim Gillette James "Jim" Gillette (born November 10, 1967) is an American singer, notable for being the frontman of glam metal band Nitro. Originally a member of the band Tuff, Gillette released a solo album in 1987 and then formed Nitro with guitarist Mic ...

(b. 1967), glam metal rock musician and lead singer, most notably with Nitro *

Homestead Harmonizers The Homestead Harmonizers is a chorus created in response to a charter to operate a barbershop chorus in Beatrice, Nebraska issued on December 12, 1988, by the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in Ame ...

, chorus formed in 1988 * Peter Jansen (1852–1923), sheep rancher, Nebraska state representative and senator * Weldon Kees (1914–1955), poet, critic, novelist, and short story writer * Oliver Kirk (1884–1960), won two gold medals in boxing at the 1904 Summer Olympics * Lou Ann Linehan (b. 1955), member of

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the sm ...

* Kevin Meyer (b. 1956), Lieutenant Governor of Alaska *

Xavier Omon Xavier Omon (born February 15, 1985) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northwest Miss ...

(b. 1985), NFL football player *

Algernon Paddock Algernon Sidney Paddock (November 9, 1830October 17, 1897) was an American politician who was a Republican secretary of Nebraska Territory and U.S. Senator from Nebraska after statehood. Biography Paddock was born in Glens Falls, New York. His ...

(1830–1897), U.S. Senator from Nebraska *

Pid Purdy Everett Virgil "Pid" Purdy (June 15, 1904 – January 16, 1951) was an American professional athlete who played in both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. He was a native of Beatrice, Nebraska, and attended Beloit College. ...

(1904–1951), athlete who played both

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

and National league football * Janet Shaw (1919–2001), film actress * Robert Taylor (1911–1969), film and television actor * Edward Wight Washburn (1881–1934), chemist *

Dora V. Wheelock Dora V. Wheelock (, Palmer; August 26, 1847 – February 3, 1923) was an American activist and writer involved in the temperance movement. She served as president of the Nebraska state branch of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), the N ...

(1847–1923), temperance activist and writer

In popular culture

Beatrice is the setting for '' The Gallows'', a 2015 found footage movie that was co-written, co-directed and co-produced by Chris Lofing, a graduate of Beatrice High School. A popular story was circulated about a near-miss that occurred in Beatrice, when, at 7:25 pm on March 1, 1950, a church was destroyed by a natural gas explosion five minutes after the scheduled choir practice, but no one was injured because all fifteen members were late. Snopes.com identified this as a true event. It was covered in an episode of ''

Unsolved Mysteries ''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Ka ...

''. In June 2022,

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...

released a documentary series titled '' Mind Over Murder'' about the ''Beatrice Six'', a group of friends who were falsely convicted of a 1985 rape and murder that took place in Beatrice. A 1970 science fiction novel "The House in November" by

Keith Laumer John Keith Laumer ( – ) was an American science fiction author. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service. His older brother March Laumer wa ...

takes place largely in Beatrice, Nebraska.

References

"About Gage County".Gage County website.
Retrieved 2010-12-30.
Retrieved 2010-12-29. "Teaching With Documents: The Homestead Act of 1862".National Archives Teachers' Resources.
Retrieved 2010-12-30.
.

Retrieved 2011-01-23.

Retrieved 2011-01-02.

Retrieved 2011-01-02. Sanny, Mary Lou.
"Beatrice—Gage County."Nebraska... Our Towns.
Retrieved 2010-12-29. City of Beatrice website.
Retrieved 2010-12-02.

Retrieved 2011-01-02. Ahlgren, Carol (1997). Retrieved 2011-01-02. Dobbs, Hugh Jackson (1918).
''History of Gage County, Nebraska''."> ''History of Gage County, Nebraska''.
Retrieved 2010-12-29. ''Horacek v. Exon''.University of Michigan Law School: The Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse.
Retrieved 2011-01-02. Center for Disability Rights, Law and Advocacy (2007).
"An Indictment of Indifference".
Note 23 on p. 12. Retrieved 2011-01-02. Winter, Deena

ttp://journalstar.com/ ''Lincoln Journal Star''. 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2011-01-02. Hicks, Nancy.
"BSDC loses Medicaid funding".''Lincoln Journal Star''.
2009-09-25. Retrieved 2011-01-02. Homestead National Monument of America.
Retrieved 2010-12-30. Davey, Monica.
''New York Times''.
2010-07-25. Retrieved 2010-12-30.

at Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-03-06. "Nebraska Health and Human Services System Chronological History".Nebraska Library Commission.
Retrieved 2011-01-02. Kay, John, Lonnie Dickson, Robert Kay and Katherine Fimple. Retrieved 2010-12-29.

External links

City of Beatrice

Gage County tourism

Main Street Beatrice
is a 501 (c)(3) organization accredited as a Certified National Main Street Program, a branch of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (

Main Street Programs in the United States Main Street Programs aim to revitalize downtowns and commercial districts through preservation-based economic development and community revitalization. The "Main Street Project" was begun in 1977 with a pilot involving 3 towns: Galesburg, Illinois; ...

). {{Authority control Cities in Nebraska Micropolitan areas of Nebraska Cities in Gage County, Nebraska County seats in Nebraska