About Davenport
Davenport is a village in the north-west corner of Thayer County, in south central Nebraska. Nebraska Highway 4 runs east and west through town, and Highway 81 lies a short distance to the east. Hebron, the county seat, is about 25 miles away, and Lincoln is roughly 100 miles off. The 2020 census counted 321 residents. The village covers about 0.65 square miles.
History
Davenport was platted in 1872 and incorporated in 1887. It was named after Davenport, Iowa. Two railroads served the village in its early years: the St Joseph and Denver City railroad arrived in 1872, and the North Western Railroad followed in 1888. Fire has been hard on the place, taking out sections of the business district in 1889, in 1917 and again in 2011. A public school was established in 1877. St Peters Lutheran School operated in the village until it closed in 2010 for lack of students.
Farming and rail
The surrounding country is worked for cash grain crops and livestock, with an ample water supply. The trade area reaches into four counties and takes in Carleton, Nelson, Deshler, Hebron and Bruning. The Union Pacific line through Davenport stays busy; roughly fifty freight trains a day pass through the village.
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Davenport is a small Thayer County village platted in 1872 by the Nebraska Land and Town Company and named for Davenport, Iowa. Once served by two competing railroad lines, the community has weathered repeated business-district fires — most recently in 2011 — while maintaining its rural character.
With a 2020 population of 321, Davenport is one of the county's more stable smaller villages, buoyed historically by its double-railroad access and a long-running set of community institutions including churches dating to the 1880s and 1890s.
Navigate & Explore Davenport
Get directions: search "Davenport Nebraska" in Waze or Google Maps
Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
Thayer County County Cameras: View Thayer County County cameras