Auburn Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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City · Nemaha County · County seat · Population 3,470 (2020 census) · ZIP 68305 · Founded 1882 · Peak population 3,650 (1970)

About Auburn

Auburn is the seat of Nemaha County, a city of 3,470 where US 75 (J Street) crosses US 136 (Central Avenue), about 20 miles south of Nebraska City and 10 miles west of the Missouri River at Brownville. It has the Nemaha County Courthouse, Nemaha County Hospital, Auburn Public Schools and the Auburn Memorial Library, and it still has two downtowns, around the courthouse square and in the old Sheridan district.

History

Two towns came first. Sheridan, named for Gen. Philip Sheridan, was surveyed in 1868, and Wesley Dundas opened its store and post office in 1869; the Missouri Pacific reached it in February 1882. Calvert was platted in 1881 by the Burlington's Lincoln Land Company and named for railroad official Thomas E. Calvert, and Burlington trains arrived that September. By early 1882 the two were called North and South Auburn, and on May 1, 1882, they merged as Auburn, named for Auburn, New York, with Church Howe and Charles D. Nixon leading the effort.

The merger gave Auburn the votes to take the county seat from Brownville in 1883. Rivalry between the two old towns put the courthouse on the hill between them, joined by Courthouse Avenue; the present Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse, designed by George A. Berlinghof, was built in 1899–1900 of local stone and brick and is on the National Register. The WPA built the stone structures of Legion Memorial Park in the 1930s. Auburn became Nebraska's first Tree City USA in 1976. Its population peaked at 3,650 in 1970. On May 18, 2026, straight-line winds and flooding damaged 20 to 25 homes, several downtown buildings and the courthouse roof.

Highways and trails through Auburn

Route	One way	Other way
US 75 (J St.)North–south through the city	North past Julian to Nebraska City (about 20 mi)	South past Howe to Falls City
US 136 (Central Ave.)Heritage Highway, east–west through the city	East to Brownville and the Missouri River bridge (about 10 mi)	West to Johnson and Tecumseh

Nearby towns

Glenrock	about 4.5 mi north-northwest	County roads
Howe	about 4.8 mi south-southeast	US 75
Johnson	about 8 mi west	US 136
Peru	about 9 mi northeast	US 75 and NE 67
Brock	about 9 mi northwest	US 75 and NE 67
Julian	about 9 mi north	US 75
Nemaha	about 10 mi east-southeast	US 136 and NE 67
Brownville	about 10 mi east	US 136
Tecumseh	about 18 mi west	US 136
Nebraska City	about 20 mi north	US 75
Falls City	about 26 mi south-southeast	US 75

Things to see

Nemaha County Courthouse, 1824 N St. (1899–1900; National Register) · Nemaha Valley Museum, 1423 19th St., on the courthouse square (Wednesday–Sunday 1–4:30, April–December; free) · Legion Memorial Park, 10th to 11th and H to J Sts. (National Register), with WPA stonework, the Nemaha County Veterans Memorial and the Auburn Municipal Pool · the Auburn Historic District downtown and the 1930s post office, 1320 Courthouse Ave., with Ethel Magafan's mural Threshing · Optimist Lake trail at the Nemaha County Fairgrounds · the Recreation Complex at 6th and Q Sts., with a splash pad, trail and the city's Auburn RV Park (17 sites, $20 a night, April–October) · Long's Creek RV Park, 517 J St. · Auburn Country Club (9 holes) south of town · the Nemaha County Fair in August (August 9–12 in 2026)

Events in Auburn

Nemaha County Fair
The Nemaha County Fair is Auburn’s annual county fair, held each August and organized by the Nemaha County Agricultural Society.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: Auburn Public Schools: Calvert Elementary, 2103 O St. (PK–5); Auburn Middle School and Auburn High School, 1829 Central Ave., Auburn; Little Learners Preschool, 1906½ O St.

Health care: Nemaha County Hospital, 2022 13th St., Auburn, 402-274-4366 (critical access hospital, 24-hour emergency room)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Nemaha County Beauty-Bounty (1967); History Nebraska; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nemaha NRD; Nebraska Department of Transportation; city, village, school, library and museum websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.