About Garland
Garland is a village in Seward County, within the Lincoln metropolitan area. The population was 210 at the 2020 census. It covers about 0.17 square miles and sits near 1,575 feet. The railroad that created the town no longer runs through it. Roughly six businesses, one church and the post office remain. Ted Kooser, a United States Poet Laureate, lives at Garland.
History
The Midland Pacific Railroad built west through north-eastern Seward County in the early 1870s, after Milford voted down railroad bonds, and put a station in the glacial hills. The town was named Germantown because most of the residents came from Germany. The post office opened in March 1873 with John Westerhoff as postmaster. Two dairy concerns anchored the local economy: the Germantown Creamery, incorporated in 1892, and the Germantown Condensed Milk Company, incorporated in 1918. Beatrice Foods bought the milk company in 1925 and closed the plant. The Bank of Germantown, established in 1904, put up a stone building in 1917.
The name change
In 1918, with anti-German feeling running high during the war, the town changed its name to Garland. It was named for Raymond Garland, the first local soldier to die in the war, who died of pneumonia on his way to France.
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Garland was platted in 1874 by Hiland Fraisure as “Germantown,” reflecting the German heritage of its settlers, when the Midland Pacific Railroad built a depot on its Lincoln-to-Seward line. Amid anti-German sentiment during World War I, the town was renamed Garland on December 11, 1918, honoring Raymond Garland, reportedly the first local soldier to die in the war.
Garland, population 210 in 2020, is the hometown of U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser.
Navigate & Explore Garland
Get directions: search "Garland Nebraska" in Waze or Google Maps
Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
Seward County Cameras: View Seward County cameras