Chapman Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Village · Merrick County · Population 260 (2020 census) · ZIP 68827 · Founded 1866 · Peak population 371 (1970)

About Chapman

Chapman is a village of 260 people (2020) on US 30 and the Union Pacific in southwestern Merrick County, at about 1,765 feet, about 2 miles northwest of the Platte River. Central City is about 10 miles northeast and Grand Island about 12 miles southwest. Bader Memorial Park, about 2.5 miles south on the Platte, has fishing lakes, a beach, trails and camping. Chapman has churches, a convenience store and a village board; its school, part of Grand Island's Northwest Public Schools, closed in 2020. Chapman is on Central Time.

History

The Union Pacific came through in 1866, and section boss John Donavon was the first man at the station, named for a railroad official. Lincoln Reed and C. A. Leake built the first store in 1871, and a school opened the same year. The town grew after a 2,800-foot bridge over the Platte was finished in 1878, with a hotel and grain elevators. The Cahow Barber Shop on Main Street is on the National Register. Chapman reached 371 people in 1970. Northwest Public Schools closed the Chapman school after the 2019–20 year.

Highways and trails through Chapman

Route	One way	Other way
US 30Along the village's southeast edge	Southwest to Grand Island	Northeast to Central City and Columbus

Nearby towns

Marquette	about 8 mi east	County roads
Archer	about 10 mi north	County roads
Central City	about 11 mi northeast	US 30
Grand Island	about 12 mi southwest	US 30
Aurora	about 13 mi southeast	County roads and NE 14
Palmer	about 15 mi north-northwest	County roads
St. Paul	about 20 mi northwest	US 281

Things to see

Bader Memorial Park, about 2.5 miles south on the Platte: 270 acres, five fishing lakes, a sand beach, 6 miles of trails, 35 RV and 15 tent sites; vehicle pass required · the Cahow Barber Shop (National Register) · the amateur radio Steak Fry and Hamfest each July at Bader Park

Schools and health care

Schools: No school in the village; Northwest Public Schools (Grand Island) ran the Chapman school until 2020

Health care: Nearest: Merrick Medical Center, Central City, about 10 mi; hospitals in Grand Island, about 12 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Merrick County (history, offices); History Nebraska (markers); National Register listings; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska DHHS; Central City Republican-Nonpareil; KOLN 10/11; KSNB; WOWT; TrailLink; VisitNebraska; Nebraska Passport. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.