Farwell Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Howard County · Population 138 (2020 census) · ZIP 68838 · Founded 1887 · Peak population 387 (1920)

About Farwell

Farwell is a village of about 138 people (2020) on the upland between the North and Middle Loup valleys in western Howard County, at about 2,000 feet. NE 92 passes just north, with St. Paul about 9 miles east and Loup City to the west, and NE 11 is about 3 miles east. Farwell has the Church of St. Anthony, a village board and a few businesses; there is no school in the village. Farwell is on Central Time.

History

Polish settlers founded the town in 1887 as Posen on the Burlington's line west of St. Paul. Danish settlers nearby objected to the name, and in 1889 it was renamed Farwell, after the Danish farvel, "farewell," a goodbye to Posen; in 1925 most of the town was still Polish. Farwell incorporated in 1895 and reached 387 people in 1920. St. Anthony of Padua parish, founded in September 1877 and calling itself the oldest Polish church in Nebraska, moved its church into Farwell in 1925; it is now a mission of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Paul.

Highways and trails through Farwell

Route	One way	Other way
NE 92Just north of the village	West to Ashton and Loup City	East to NE 11 and St. Paul

Nearby towns

Elba	about 6 mi north-northeast	NE 92 and NE 11
Dannebrog	about 8 mi south-southeast	County roads
St. Paul	about 9 mi east	NE 92
Ashton	about 9 mi west-northwest	NE 92
Cotesfield	about 10 mi north	NE 11
Boelus	about 11 mi south-southwest	County roads
Cushing	about 15 mi east-northeast	NE 92
Cairo	about 15 mi south	NE 11
Loup City	about 18 mi west-northwest	NE 92
Grand Island	about 25 mi southeast	NE 11 and US 281

Things to see

the Church of St. Anthony of Padua, 103 Kearns Ave. · Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and Cemetery near Ashton (National Register) · the Czech St. Wenceslaus cemetery at Warsaw

Schools and health care

Schools: No school in the village; nearby districts are Elba and St. Paul Public Schools

Health care: Nearest: Howard County Medical Center, 1113 Sherman St., St. Paul, about 9 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); 1890–91 Nebraska State Gazetteer; Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (1925); Howard County (history, offices); History Nebraska (markers); National Register listings; NEGenWeb and the UNL Czech Heritage Project; Nebraska Game and Parks; SABR; U.S. Air Force biographies; KOLN 10/11; KSNB; Central Nebraska Today; VisitNebraska; Nebraska Passport. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.