Paddock Nebraska

First county seat · Holt County · 1876–1879

About Paddock

Paddock, first called Troy, was settled in 1874 where Eagle Creek meets the Niobrara River in northern Holt County, and it was the county's first county seat, 1876–1879. A private home stands on the town site; US 281 is about 4 miles west.

History

Harry Spindler and Baxter Berry settled here in 1874. The town was renamed in 1875 for U.S. Senator Algernon S. Paddock. It won the county seat at the December 27, 1876 election, and the first county officers met here on February 6, 1877; settlers from O'Neill had to travel 30 miles to reach it. The nearest railroad was at Yankton, 85 miles away, and the nearest grist mill at Neligh, 65 miles.

On May 12, 1879, O'Neill won the county seat with 279 of 391 votes. County clerk Sanford Parker moved the records to O'Neill hidden in a hollowed-out ceiling board, which is now at History Nebraska. Paddock kept School District 1 and the Old Settlers Picnic, held from 1882 until its 81st and last in 1963. A house built in 1944 stands almost exactly on the original site, and an old cemetery nearby has a grave dated 1872. The Paddock Union Church, about 16 miles north of O'Neill in Paddock Township, is a separate site.