Decatur Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Burt County · Population 410 (2020 census) · ZIP 68020 · Founded 1855 · Peak population 905 (1940)

About Decatur

Decatur is a village of 410 on the Missouri River in northeastern Burt County, where US 75 meets NE 51. NE 51 crosses the river on the Burt County Missouri River Bridge to Onawa, Iowa. Decatur has Beck Memorial Park campground, a boat ramp, the Robert E. Baker Memorial Museum, the Burgess Family Clinic, The Green Lantern and Pop-n-Doc's.

History

This was Omaha country, and on August 11, 1804, Lewis and Clark climbed nearby Blackbird Hill to the grave of Chief Blackbird. Col. Peter Sarpy had a trading post here, and in the fall of 1855 the Decatur Town and Ferry Company, whose members included Sarpy, B. R. Folsom and Stephen Decatur (Bross), laid out the town; it took the name of Decatur, a settler who had come west in 1841. Robert Percival became the first postmaster in 1857.

Decatur expected a railroad crossing in 1857, but the line went to Omaha instead and the boom collapsed; no railroad was ever built to the town. It was a city of the second class from 1869 until it became a village in 1880. The toll bridge to Iowa was built on dry land in 1950–56, and the Corps of Engineers diverted the Missouri under it in 1955; tolls ended on November 30, 2013. The state plans a $92 million replacement just north of the old bridge. Decatur Riverfront Days, held each June, marked its 46th year in 2026.

Highways and trails through Decatur

Route	One way	Other way
US 75North–south along the west side of town; runs with NE 51 for half a mile	North to Macy (about 11 mi) and Winnebago	South to Tekamah (about 16 mi)
NE 51East end at the Missouri River bridge	East across the river to Onawa, Iowa (about 9 mi) and I-29	West to US 77 near Lyons and Bancroft

Nearby towns

Basford	about 6 mi west	NE 51
Onawa, Iowa	about 9 mi east	NE 51 and Iowa 175
Macy	about 11 mi north	US 75
Tekamah	about 16 mi south	US 75
Lyons	about 16 mi west	NE 51 and US 77
Walthill	about 22 mi northwest	US 75 and NE 94

Things to see

Burt County Missouri River Bridge (1955) · Beck Memorial Park on the river · Robert E. Baker Memorial Museum, 400 W. 8th St. · A. B. Fuller House, 400 8th St. (National Register) · Blackbird Hill, on the Omaha Reservation north of town (private land)

Schools and health care

Schools: Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools (all buildings in Lyons, 400 S. 5th St.)

Health care: Burgess Family Clinic, 823 S. Broadway St. (limited hours); nearest hospital Burgess Health Center, Onawa, Iowa (about 9 mi across the bridge)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Burt County; History Nebraska; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.