Brownville

History

Established in 1854 and incorporated in 1856, Brownville was the largest town in the Nebraska Territory, with a population of 1,309 by 1880. Bordering slave-holding Missouri, the town became an important port on the Missouri River. Daniel Freeman, the first homesteader to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862, staked his claim at a New Year's Eve party in Brownville. The first post office was called Brownsville and existed from 1853 to 1870, when it was changed to Brownville; however the name changed may have occurred later since a 1909 Post Office Department map shows the former name. The rise of the railroad was ultimately Brownville's undoing. The railroads siphoned traffic away from the Missouri River's steamboats. Brownville's attempt to secure a railroad of its own was severely botched and led to immense tax increases to pay the bonds for the failed venture. This drove most of the population away and led to the county seat being transferred to Auburn in 1885. In 1856 Thomas Weston Tipton moved to the town to serve as a minister. He later became a U.S. Senator, and ran an unsuccessful campaign for Governor of Nebraska. Omaha land magnates Herman and Augustus Kountze held large holdings in the early town. After the American Civil War, David Mercer established a law practice in the town. Mercer later served as a long-time U.S. Representative from Nebraska. The Nebraska State Fair was held in the town in 1870 and 1871. That year Eugene Gilmore, the future acting Governor-General of the Philippines, was born in the town. The Brownville Bridge was built over the Missouri River in 1939. Today it is on the National Register of Historic Places. Owing to its place in Nebraska history, Brownville is primarily a tourist attraction with several old houses opened…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• CALVERT ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · AUBURN · 577 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL
  High · AUBURN · 247 students · 13:1 ratio
• AUBURN MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · AUBURN · 190 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• LITTLE LEARNERS PRESCHOOL
  Other · AUBURN · 37 students
• LEARNING CENTER
  Other · AUBURN