Brownlee Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Mailing ZIP code: 69166

Unincorporated community · Cherry County · Founded 1886

About Brownlee

Brownlee is an unincorporated community and census-designated place of 13 people (2020) on the North Loup River in southern Cherry County, at about 2,871 feet. It is reached by Brownlee Road, a narrow road that runs west from US 83 about 20 miles north of NE 2; Thedford is about 22 miles south and Valentine about 41 miles north. A church and community hall remain. The Twin Bridge, a 1900 steel bridge on the National Register, is about 8 miles northwest, and the site of DeWitty, Nebraska's largest Black homestead settlement, about 10 miles northwest. Brownlee is on Central Time.

History

John R. and William B. Lee, brothers-in-law from Ireland, founded Brownlee in 1886; according to Fitzpatrick the name came from the Brownlee family of their wives. In 1890 John R. Lee was postmaster and storekeeper, the town had a blacksmith, and the nearest railroad station was Seneca. Brownlee once had three stores and a hotel. Its residents shared Fourth of July rodeos, ball games and picnics with their neighbors at DeWitty until that settlement emptied in the 1930s.

Highways and trails through Brownlee

Route	One way	Other way
US 83About 5 miles east via Brownlee Road	North to Valentine	South to Thedford

Nearby towns

DeWitty	about 10 mi northwest	County roads
Conterra	about 11 mi north	County roads and US 83
Cascade	about 14 mi east-southeast	County roads
Kennedy	about 20 mi north-northwest	County roads
Thedford	about 22 mi south	US 83
Elsmere	about 24 mi east-southeast	County roads
Mullen	about 27 mi southwest	County roads
Valentine	about 41 mi north	US 83

Things to see

the Twin Bridge over the North Loup, about 8 miles northwest (National Register) · the site of DeWitty, about 10 miles northwest, and the DeWitty Cemetery · the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles north on US 83

Health care

Nearest hospitals: Cherry County Hospital in Valentine, about 41 mi north; nearest town Thedford, about 22 mi south

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Who's Who in Nebraska, Cherry County (1940); NEGenWeb Cherry County; Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names; Nebraska Blue Books (1920, 1926); History Nebraska and its markers; National Register nominations; 49 CFR 71.7 (time-zone boundary); National Park Service (Niobrara National Scenic River); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation; FAA via AirNav; FCC; Cherry County; City of Valentine; Valentine Community Schools; Cody-Kilgore Public Schools; Cherry County Hospital; Visit Nebraska; Nebraska Arts Council; Flatwater Free Press; Nebraska Examiner; Rural Radio Network. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.