Blue Hill Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Webster County · Population 805 (2020 census) · ZIP 68930 · Founded 1878 · Peak population 936 (2010)

About Blue Hill

Blue Hill is a city of 805 in northern Webster County, on US 281 about 18 miles south of Hastings and a mile south of the Adams County line. With Red Cloud it is one of the county's two cities, and it has Blue Hill Community Schools, a public library, a 9-hole golf course and an aquatic center.

History

Blue Hill was surveyed and platted in September 1878 by A. B. Smith for the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, on land owned by Thomas B. Rohrer of Hagerstown, Maryland, who gave the railroad a half interest in the lots. Albert Blumenthal's hotel opened that October, the station opened in November, and the post office on December 20, 1878. The name was first proposed as Belmont, but another Nebraska town already had it; Blue Hill is said to refer either to the town's hill near the Little Blue River or to the bluish haze around it. By 1890 Blue Hill was the junction of the Burlington's Hastings–Red Cloud line and its DeWitt–Holdrege branch, with about 800 people, three banks and two newspapers.

A storm in July 1879 blew eight railroad cars off the track, and on June 24, 1890, fire nearly destroyed the north side of the business block; the 100,000-gallon water tower built in 1890–91 still serves the town. Residents voted for electricity in 1910, and the Glenwood Telephone Co., organized in 1901, still serves the area. Unlike most towns in the county, Blue Hill grew after World War II, reaching its largest census count, 936, in 2010. Webster County Community Hospital took over the Blue Hill Medical Clinic from Mary Lanning Healthcare and has said it is committed to keeping it open.

Highways and trails through Blue Hill

Route	One way	Other way
US 281North–south through the city	North to Hastings (about 18 mi)	South, with NE 4 for about 4 mi, to Cowles and Red Cloud
NE 4Passes south of town, sharing about 4 mi with US 281	East past Rosemont to Lawrence	West to Bladen and Campbell

Nearby towns

Rosemont	about 5 mi southeast	NE 4
Ayr	about 7 mi north	US 281
Bladen	about 8 mi west	NE 4 and S-91A
Lawrence	about 10 mi east-southeast	NE 4
Cowles	about 11 mi south	US 281 and S-91B
Roseland	about 11 mi north-northwest	County roads
Red Cloud	about 17 mi south-southwest	US 281
Hastings	about 18 mi north	US 281

Things to see

Ash Hollow Golf Course (Blue Hill Golf Course), 433 N. Willson St., 9 holes, public · the Blue Hill Aquatic Center, 410 S. Sycamore St. · the Blue Hill Public Library, 317 W. Gage St. · the 1890–91 water tower · the Pavelka Farmstead, about 6 mi southwest · Rosemont and Liberty Cove Recreation Area, east toward Lawrence

Schools and health care

Schools: Blue Hill Community Schools: Blue Hill Elementary (PK–6) and Blue Hill High School (7–12), 606 S. Sycamore St.

Health care: Blue Hill Medical Clinic (part of Webster County Community Hospital); hospitals: Webster County Community Hospital, 621 N. Franklin St., Red Cloud, (402) 746-5600, a 13-bed critical access hospital, about 17 mi, or Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings, about 18 mi north

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Nebraska State Gazetteer (1890); Who's Who in Nebraska, Webster County (1940); NEGenWeb Webster County; History Nebraska and its historical markers; National Park Service; National Register of Historic Places; Willa Cather Foundation; Visit Red Cloud; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation; school, hospital and library websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.