Stella Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Richardson County · Population 150 (2020 census) · ZIP 68442 · Founded 1881 · Peak population 498 (1900)

About Stella

Stella is a village of 150 in northern Richardson County on NE 62, a few miles east of US 75 and about 5 miles west of Shubert, with Muddy Creek just west of town.

History

In August 1881 farmers and Falls City businessmen met at the Muddy schoolhouse to bring in a railroad and a new town. Missouri Pacific grading reached the site on November 25, 1881, with track in December, and the 40-acre town site was laid out on land of J. W. Clark of Covington, Kentucky, who named it for his late daughter Stella. The post office moved here in 1882 from Dorrington, about 1.5 miles away. Stella incorporated in 1882 and had 25 businesses by that fall; the Stella Press began in 1882, a water system came in 1887, an opera house in 1898 and electric lights in 1908.

The population peaked at 498 in 1900. Stella was the home of Southeast Nebraska Consolidated Schools, opened in 1968, until that district merged into HTRS in 2009, and the school building was sold that year.

Highways and trails through Stella

Route	One way	Other way
NE 62East–west through the village	East to Shubert and NE 67	West to US 75

Nearby towns

Shubert	about 4.7 mi east	NE 62
Verdon	about 7 mi south-southeast	County roads
Dawson	about 8 mi south-southwest	NE 62 and US 75
Nemaha	about 9 mi northeast	NE 62 and NE 67
Humboldt	about 10 mi west-southwest	NE 62, US 75 and NE 4
Barada	about 10 mi east	NE 62 and county roads
Salem	about 11 mi south-southeast	County roads
Auburn	about 11 mi north-northwest	NE 62 and US 75
Falls City	about 15 mi southeast	County roads and US 73

Things to see

The R. A. Clark House ("Sunset Hill"), 805 Vine St., a 1908 Queen Anne house built for state legislator Ralph A. Clark (National Register; private) · Way Side Stock Farm, 64480 718 Rd. (National Register; private) · Stella Community Library · Stella Cemetery, on the south edge of town

Schools and health care

Schools: Humboldt Table Rock Steinauer Public Schools (HTRS): HTRS Elementary School (PK–6) and HTRS High School (7–12), both at 810 Central Ave., Humboldt

Health care: No clinic in Stella; Community Medical Center, 3307 Barada St., Falls City, 402-245-2428 (25-bed critical access hospital, with its Family Medicine Clinic at the same address)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Edwards, History of Richardson County (1917); History Nebraska; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nemaha NRD; Nebraska Department of Transportation; city, village, school, library, museum and parish websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.