About Ithaca
Ithaca is a village in Saunders County, Nebraska, in Wahoo Township. The 2020 census counted 160 residents, up from 148 in 2010. The village covers about a quarter of a square mile at an elevation near 1,135 feet.
History
Ithaca was founded in 1866 and named for Ithaca, New York, the original home of one of the first settlers. William Dech is recorded as the first settler. The place served as a stopping point for travellers between Ashland and Wahoo. A post office opened in 1870, with Elijah Dech as the first postmaster. Before that, a station called Milton had operated a few miles south. A water powered flour mill was built on Wahoo Creek in 1871. The railroad arrived in 1886, and a steam powered roller mill was put up beside the tracks. The Farmers State Bank was in business from 1902 to 1961. The population peaked at 171 in 1910.
The grain elevator
A grain elevator built around 1890 stands in the village and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Ithaca was established in 1866 and named after Ithaca, New York — itself ultimately named for the mythical island-kingdom of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey — by a pioneer settler native to that city.
Ithaca, population 160 in 2020 and covering just 0.23 square miles, is the hometown of U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General Harold D. Hansen (1904–1987) and is home to a historic ca. 1890 grain elevator listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Navigate & Explore Ithaca
Get directions: search "Ithaca Nebraska" in Waze or Google Maps
Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
Saunders County Cameras: View Saunders County cameras