Town Overview

Maxwell is a village of 257 on 0.34 square miles in the Platte valley of Lincoln County, part of the North Platte micropolitan area. It was platted in 1894 after the Union Pacific Railroad was extended to the point, named for a railroad official, and incorporated as a village in 1908. Population has slipped over two decades — 315 in 2000, 312 in 2010, 257 in 2020.

Its significance is out of all proportion to its size, because four miles south of the village lies Fort McPherson National Cemetery, one of the most important military burial grounds on the Great Plains.

Adjacent Counties & Nearby Towns

Lincoln County is Nebraska's third-largest county by area at 2,575 square miles, with 34,676 residents in 2020 and North Platte as its seat and largest city. The North and South Platte rivers join within the county, and it is the westernmost Nebraska county to observe Central Time throughout. It borders McPherson County to the northwest, Logan County to the northeast, Custer County and Dawson County to the east, Frontier County to the southeast, Hayes County to the southwest, and Perkins County and Keith County to the west. Despite the name, the state capital is nowhere near it.

Nearest towns. Brady lies east along the Platte valley and North Platte, the county seat, is a short drive west; Hershey and Sutherland continue west of North Platte along the same corridor.

Points of Interest & Events

Fort McPherson National Cemetery — Nebraska’s only national cemetery, four miles south of Maxwell at 12004 South Spur 56A, and two miles south of Interstate 80 exit 190. A burial ground was started when Fort McPherson was established in 1863, originally as Cantonment McKean, to protect travellers on the emigrant routes; it was renamed in 1866 for Major General James B. McPherson, killed at the Battle of Atlanta. In 1873 twenty acres were set aside as a national cemetery and the post burials were moved into it. Over the years the remains from twenty-three cemeteries at abandoned frontier forts were brought here, the last of them from Fort Robinson in 1947. There are now more than 10,000 interments, including four Medal of Honor recipients — James W. Fous, George Jordan, Daniel Miller and Emanuel Stance — 63 Buffalo Soldiers, and the frontier scout California Joe Milner.

Visiting the cemetery. The grounds are open every day from dawn to dusk, and the office keeps Monday to Friday hours of 8.00 to 4.30, closed on federal holidays except Memorial Day; the telephone number is 308-582-4433. The cemetery lodge dates from 1876. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

The Platte valley corridor. Maxwell sits on the historic route west — the Oregon and Mormon trails, the Union Pacific and now Interstate 80 all follow this valley. Before the village there was a trading post and stage station here called Cottonwood, from 1858, later Cottonwood Springs.

Maxwell Heritage Days. The village’s own celebration, held annually in August and organised by the Village of Maxwell. Reported activities have included a grab-and-go breakfast, the annual parade, pie and cake auctions raising money for the Hill and Valley group and the village Easter egg hunt, kiddie rides at the park, a sloppy joe feed put on by the Baptist church, and bingo with free ice cream in the evening; more recent years have added bull riding and live music. Dates move from year to year, so check locally before travelling. The national cemetery also holds observances on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Education & Health

Schools. Maxwell Public Schools runs two buildings on one campus at 415 East Highway 30 — an elementary of about 124 pupils and a 7–12 high school of about 145, roughly 269 students in all — one of six public districts in Lincoln County and still independent, which is increasingly unusual at this size. The teams are the Wildcats.

Health care. There is no hospital or clinic in Maxwell, but it sits almost midway between two. Great Plains Health, 601 West Leota Street in North Platte, is about 14 miles west — the larger referral hospital, with emergency services. Gothenburg Health, 910 20th Street in Gothenburg, is about 22 miles east and keeps a 24-hour emergency room, with The Medical Clinic at Gothenburg Health next door at 918 20th Street.

Highway Access

Maxwell sits in the Platte valley on the main east–west corridor across Nebraska. U.S. Route 30 — the Lincoln Highway — runs through the village alongside the Union Pacific main line that platted it in 1894, and Interstate 80 runs parallel about two miles to the south.

The interstate is joined at Exit 190, signed “Nebraska 56A Spur; Maxwell”. Spur 56A runs south out of the village, crosses the interstate at that interchange and carries on to Fort McPherson National Cemetery, which is signposted from the road.

North Platte, about 14 miles west along the same corridor, is the nearest city; Lee Bird Field there is the closest commercial airport, roughly 11 miles west on U.S. Route 30. Brady is about 9 miles east and Gothenburg about 22.

Maxwell is a village of 257 in the Platte valley of Lincoln County, platted in 1894 when the Union Pacific was extended to the point and incorporated in 1908. Four miles south lies Fort McPherson National Cemetery, established on the site of an 1863 frontier fort and now holding more than 10,000 interments, including four Medal of Honor recipients and 63 Buffalo Soldiers, with remains gathered from twenty-three abandoned frontier post cemeteries.

Navigate & Explore Maxwell

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