Hallam Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Lancaster County · Population 268 (2020 census) · ZIP 68368 · Founded 1892 · Peak population 309 (1990)

About Hallam

Hallam is a village of 268 people (2020) in southwestern Lancaster County, at 1,486 feet about 20 miles south-southwest of downtown Lincoln. Its motto is “The Little Town With A Big Heart.” Most village students attend Crete Public Schools; part of the area is in the Norris district. Olive Creek State Recreation Area is nearby. Hallam is on Central Time.

History

Hallam was platted in 1892, when the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad built through. The names landowner Frederick Schneider suggested were already taken, so Jacob Schadd, the first landowner, proposed Hallau, his hometown in Switzerland, and a post-office transcription error made it Hallam. A nuclear power plant built near the village was completed in 1962 and ran on nuclear power for only about a year; the site later became the coal-fired Sheldon Station. On May 22, 2004, an F4 tornado with a damage path about 2.5 miles wide — the widest on record until the El Reno, Oklahoma, tornado of May 31, 2013 — destroyed most of the village, killing one person and injuring nearly 40. The population, 309 in 1990, fell to 213 in 2010 and was back to 268 in 2020.

Nearby towns

Cortland	about 5 mi east-southeast	County roads
Sprague	about 7 mi north-northeast	County roads
Martell	about 7 mi north-northeast	County roads
Firth	about 10 mi east	County roads
Roca	about 11 mi northeast	County roads
Crete	about 11 mi northwest	County roads
Lincoln	about 20 mi north-northeast	US 77

Things to see

Olive Creek State Recreation Area: a 175-acre lake with primitive camping (boat ramp closed for low water)

Schools and health care

Schools: Crete Public Schools (Crete) for most village students; part of the area is in Norris School District 160

Health care: Hospitals: Bryan Medical Center (East and West), CHI Health St. Elizabeth and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, Lincoln, about 20 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); NEGenWeb Lancaster County; History Nebraska; National Register; Nebraska Game and Parks; Lower Platte South NRD; City of Lincoln; Lincoln Airport; Nebraska State Capitol; Flatwater Free Press; school districts; city and village sites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.