Stella sits in the northern part of Richardson County, in the southeast corner of Nebraska. Local farmers met in August 1881 to press for an extension of the railroad, and the town was laid out that November. Track reached Stella in December 1881, a station building went up in January 1882, and the village incorporated the same year. The name comes from Stella Clark, daughter of J. W. Clark of Covington, Kentucky, who owned the land the town site was platted on.
The early years moved fast. By the fall of 1882 there were twenty-five business firms in town. A water system was begun in 1887, an opera house was built in 1898, and telephone service arrived in 1899. By 1901 Stella supported five churches. The census counted 150 residents in 2020, close to the 152 of 2010 but well below the 220 recorded in 2000.
What is left is a compact village of tree lined streets set among hills, with Muddy Creek to the west and the old Stella Cemetery on the southern edge. Students attend Humboldt Table Rock Steinauer Public Schools, the district that absorbed the former Southeast Nebraska Consolidated Schools at the start of 2009.
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Stella is a village in Richardson County, Nebraska, platted in 1881 and named for Stella Clark, daughter of the original town-site owner. Rail service reached Stella in December 1881, and the village grew to 25 business firms within its first year.
With 150 residents at the 2020 Census, Stella preserves its NRHP-listed R.A. Clark House and once supported an 1898 opera house and an 1887 water system.
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Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
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