Swanton is a village in Saline County that began in 1883, when a railroad line was built between DeWitt and Tobias. The Lincoln Land Company laid out the streets and wanted to call the place Morris, but postal authorities objected because the name was too close to one already in use. Swan Creek, which runs nearby, supplied the alternative. The post office opened in May 1884.
The village had the usual small town equipment and a little more. A Fairmont cream separator station operated for years, taking milk from farmers and turning out butter and skim milk. The Bank of Swanton came through the Depression intact. A water tower went up in 1936 and a sewer system followed in the mid 1960s. Seven churches served the area at one time or another; the United Methodist congregation, organized in 1884 and dedicated in 1891, is the one that remains.
The school opened in 1884 and grew into three frame buildings before a brick school replaced them in 1909, handling all twelve grades by 1913. High school classes ended around 1961, and Swanton joined the Tri County district in 1966. Willard Schmidt, who graduated from Swanton High School in 1928, won a gold medal in basketball at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The census counted 75 residents in 2020, down from 94 in 2010 and 106 in 2000.
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Swanton is a village in Saline County, Nebraska, established in 1883 when the railroad was extended to that point. Originally platted as "Morris," it was renamed Swanton after nearby Swan Creek to avoid duplicating the name of another Nebraska town.
With 75 residents at the 2020 Census, Swanton is one of the smallest villages in the county. It's the hometown of Willard Schmidt, a 1936 Olympic gold medalist in basketball at the Berlin Games.
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