Westerville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in Custer County,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, United States. It is located at the intersection of

U.S. Route 183 U.S. Route 183 (US 183) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Presho, South Dakota, at an intersection with Interstate 90. Its southern terminus is in Refugio, Texas, at the southern intersection ...

and Nebraska Highway 70. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 39.

Demographics

History

Westerville was named for James Westervelt, a local storekeeper on whose land the townsite was platted August 11, 1880. The Westerville post office was established in 1882. County fairs were held in Westerville in 1883 and 1884. According to

History Nebraska History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." ...

, Westerville was the first town in Custer County. It was home to the first frame church in the county; the first newspaper, ''The Custer Leader'', and the first doctor, lawyer, banker, school teachers, monument cutter, and general stores in the county. Along with the post office, the town was home to sod houses, a hotel, blacksmith shop, livery barn, and flour mill. The Custer County County Agricultural Society was in Westerville, and the first two county fairs were held in town in 1881 and 1882. When a railroad was built farther south of Westerville in 1886, the town gradually declined. It became unincorporated in the 1960s. Westerville was the nearest town to John W. Speese (1866-1914), an African American farmer who homesteaded there in 1881. After 18 years of running his place, Speese wrote an account of farm life for the '' Omaha World-Herald'' about life on his 238 acre farm, which included a timber lot, alfalfa, cattle and more. At that time, he reported he was out of debt and was reasonably successful.Hornsby, Alton (2011) ''Black America: A State-by-State Historical Encyclopedia''. ABC-CLIO. p. 484.

References

Census-designated places in Nebraska Census-designated places in Custer County, Nebraska {{CusterCountyNE-geo-stub