Princeton Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Unincorporated community · Lancaster County · Population 51 (2020 census) · Founded 1886

About Princeton

Princeton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (51 people in 2020) in southern Lancaster County, at about 1,431 feet, about 4 miles south-southeast of Sprague and 5 miles from Hallam, Martell and Hickman.

History

Princeton was founded in 1886 as a station on the Republican Valley branch of the Union Pacific, which the 1890 gazetteer placed 18 miles south of Lincoln. It was likely named for Princeton, New Jersey. Its post office ran from 1886 to 1959. In 1890 Princeton had about 100 people, a United Brethren church, a general store, two hardware dealers (one of them also postmaster), a harness maker, a blacksmith, a station agent and a justice of the peace. Leon Riley, a baseball player and manager and the father of basketball coach Pat Riley, was born in Princeton.

Nearby towns

Sprague	about 4 mi north-northwest	County roads
Hallam	about 5 mi west-southwest	County roads
Martell	about 5 mi north-northwest	County roads
Hickman	about 5 mi northeast	County roads
Firth	about 6 mi east-southeast	County roads
Roca	about 6 mi north-northeast	County roads
Kramer	about 9 mi west	County roads
Panama	about 10 mi east	County roads
Lincoln	about 16 mi north	County roads

Schools and health care

Schools: Norris School District 160 (Norris Elementary, Intermediate, Middle and High School on one campus about 2 miles north and 1½ miles west of Firth)

Health care: Hospitals: Bryan Medical Center (East and West), CHI Health St. Elizabeth and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, Lincoln, about 16 mi

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 census-designated places); Citypopulation.de; Wikipedia; Fitzpatrick and Link, Nebraska Place-Names (1960), and Forte postal history as cited by Wikipedia; 1890 Nebraska State Gazetteer (Lancaster County); History Nebraska; National Register; Nebraska Game and Parks; Lower Platte South NRD; TrailLink; KOLN/KGIN (2018); Seeing Lincoln. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.