Pierce County, Nebraska

Pierce County, Nebraska

County seat: Pierce · Created: 1859; organized July 26, 1870 · Named for: President Franklin Pierce · License plates: prefix 40 · Population: 7,317 (2020 census) · Area: 575 sq mi (573 land) · Time zone: Central

About Pierce County

Pierce County is farm country in the valley of the North Fork of the Elkhorn River, in northeast Nebraska, and part of the Norfolk micropolitan area. Pierce is the county seat and largest town; Plainview and Osmond are the other cities, on US 20 in the north. The villages are Hadar, Foster and McLean, and Breslau and Wee Town are former stops on US 20 and US 81. The county borders Knox on the north, Cedar on the northeast, Wayne on the east, Stanton on the southeast, Madison on the south and Antelope on the west.

The territorial legislature created the county in 1859. German families from Wisconsin reached the North Fork above Norfolk in 1866, and in 1870 J. H. Brown and R. S. Lucas settled where Willow Creek meets the North Fork. The county was organized at an election on July 26, 1870, which also made Pierce the seat; it has never moved. In 1875 the county took a township from Cedar County to become a square of 16 townships. The railroad from Norfolk to Creighton came through Pierce, Foster and Plainview in 1880, Hadar followed in 1883, and a second line across the north founded Osmond in 1890. Plainview, first called Roseville, is the “Klown Kapital,” and Hadar’s name is German for strife.

Towns of Pierce County

Travel Corridors

US 20 crosses the north of the county through Plainview, Breslau and Osmond. US 20 Corridor → US 81 runs north–south along 555th Avenue in the east, past Hadar and Wee Town; it crosses US 20 west of Randolph. US 81 Corridor → NE 13 starts at US 81 by Hadar and runs northwest through Pierce and Foster to US 20 at Plainview. NE 98 runs east from Pierce, sharing about 2 miles with US 81, toward Carroll and Wayne, and NE 121 leaves NE 13 northwest of Pierce for Osmond and Knox County. NE 13 does not reach Norfolk; take US 81.

Cameras: View Pierce County cameras → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Things to See

Plainview’s Klown Doll Museum holds more than 7,000 clown dolls, and its Depot Museum is in the 1880 depot. Pierce has the Pierce Historical Society Museum and the arboretum and lake in Gilman Park. The county’s five National Register listings are the Plainview depot, Carnegie library and Athletic Park Band Shell; the Willow Creek Bridge south of Foster; and 4½ miles of the 1911 Meridian Highway southeast of Pierce, the forerunner of US 81.

Parks and Outdoors

Willow Creek State Recreation Area, southwest of Pierce, is the county’s one state area: a 700-acre lake in 1,633 acres, with 165 electric campsites, an equestrian camp, a swimming beach, disc golf and an 8-mile limestone trail with a 2-mile spur into Pierce. Pierce has a small campground in Gilman Park. Golf is at Pierce and the Plainview Country Club.

Pierce County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Pierce · Plainview · Osmond · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Knox County (north) · Cedar County (northeast) · Wayne County (east) · Stanton County (southeast) · Madison County (south) · Antelope County (west).

Events

The Pierce County Fair in Pierce in late July (July 22–26 in 2026), Klown Days in Plainview each summer, and the Pierce Old Time Threshers Bee at the fairgrounds each September.

Outdoors: camping, hunting and fishing

Willow Creek State Recreation Area, 54876 852 Rd. just southwest of Pierce, has 1,633 acres around a 700-acre flood-control lake; the wooded west half is no-wake. Willow Way Campground has 165 electric sites plus basic sites, with showers and laundry; about half can be reserved. Ten equestrian Electric Plus sites (100-foot pads, 50-amp, 50-foot pens) serve a 10-mile mowed horse trail. The electric campground is closed from October 5, 2026, to January 1, 2027, for an electrical upgrade. The dump and fill station is in Pierce, next to the courthouse, about 5 miles from the lake. Nightly camping fees (Game and Parks rates): Electric Plus $30, Electric $25, Basic $15, Equestrian Electric Plus $35, Equestrian Basic $20; $5 less off-season. A park entry permit is required. Park office (402) 329-4053.

Fishing: crappie, bluegill, bass, catfish, walleye, northern pike and wipers, with seven rock jetties and a swimming beach on the south shore. Hunting: parts of the area are open from the first Tuesday after Labor Day to April 1; deer are archery only. Trails: an 8-mile limestone hike-and-bike trail around the lake and a 2-mile connector into Pierce. The rest of the county is private farm ground. In Pierce, Gilman Park has four campsites with power and water ($10 a day, May to October) and the Bill Cox Memorial Lake.

Pierce County at a Glance

Pierce County, Nebraska — created in 1859, organized in 1870 and named for President Franklin Pierce. County seat Pierce. Population 7,317 at the 2020 census. 219 listings across 8 towns.

Getting there: US 20 crosses the north through Plainview and Osmond; US 81 runs along the east side; NE 13 links Hadar, Pierce, Foster and Plainview. Norfolk is about 13 miles south of Pierce. Central Time.

For visitors: Willow Creek State Recreation Area near Pierce, the Klown Doll Museum in Plainview (summer), and the Pierce County Fair in late July.

All Nebraska Counties | Northeast Nebraska | Pierce County Cameras | Nebraska Town Directory