Beatrice () is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Gage County,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, United States. Its population was 12,261 at the 2020 census, making it the 15th most populous city in Nebraska. Beatrice is located approximately 42 miles south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River.

History

Gage County was one of the 19 counties originally established by the

Nebraska Territorial Legislature The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855, until February 18, 1867, in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory. Major issues Slavery In 1854 the Kansas–Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Miss ...

in 1854. At the time of its establishment, there were no settlers living within its boundaries. In 1857, the steamboat ''Hannibal'', carrying 300 passengers up the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

from

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

to Nebraska City, Nebraska, ran aground near

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

. While it was stranded, 35 of the passengers agreed to form the "Nebraska Association", under which name they would unite in seeking a townsite and establishing a settlement in the territory. After reaching Nebraska City, the Association divided itself into two exploratory parties, one of which went directly westward and the other southwest. The latter party located the site of Beatrice, at the point where the DeRoin Trail crossed the Big Blue River, and the whole Association decided to settle there. The settlement was named after Julia Beatrice Kinney, the 17-year-old daughter of Judge John F. Kinney, a member of the Association. The Territorial Legislature selected Beatrice as the county seat of Gage County in 1857. The decision was challenged by Blue Springs, but was confirmed by the Legislature in 1859. In 1864, the Legislature dissolved the original Clay County (not the current Clay County, Nebraska), dividing its land between Gage and Lancaster Counties. The addition of this ground in the north placed Beatrice near the center of the enlarged county, strengthening its claim to the county seat. It continues to hold that position today.

Homestead Act

In 1862, the U.S. Congress passed the

Homestead Act The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of Federal lands, government land or the American frontier, public domain, typically called a Homestead (buildings), homestead. In all, mo ...

, which allowed settlers to claim of government land for a nominal fee. The law went into effect on January 1, 1863. Just after midnight on that day, Daniel Freeman persuaded a clerk to open the local Land Office so that he could file a claim for a homestead located west of Beatrice. His is regarded as the first of the 417 applications filed that day. In 1936, Congress created Homestead National Monument of America on the site of Freeman's claim.

Early development

The Big Blue River was both a help and a hindrance to the development of Beatrice. It provided the town with a water source, and produced ample power to operate the mills that were among the town's first industries. However, it represented a major obstacle to travelers on the Oregon Trail route; and floods frequently destroyed the dams and bridges in the area. Not until 1890 was a Big Blue bridge built in Beatrice that could survive for decades. In 1871, the

Burlington and Missouri River Railroad The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad (B&MR) or sometimes (B&M) was an American railroad company incorporated in Iowa in 1852, with Burlington Headquarters Building, headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. It was developed to build a railroad acros ...

constructed a line from

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

to Beatrice. In 1879, the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

built a line joining Beatrice to

Marysville, Kansas Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,447. History Marysville was laid out in 1855 by Francis J. Marshall, and designated in that sa ...

. By 1890, the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At ...

had also run tracks through Beatrice. On August 3, 1892, future president

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

, then governor of Ohio, gave a campaign speech in Beatrice. The former international foods conglomerate,

Beatrice Foods Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food conglomerate founded in 1894. One of the best-known food processing companies in the U.S., Beatrice owned many well-known brands such as Tropicana, Krispy Kreme, Jolly Rancher, Orville Reden ...

, (now a part of

ConAgra Foods Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, ...

) was founded in Beatrice in 1894 as The Beatrice Creamery Company, by George Everett Haskell and William W. Bosworth.

Beatrice State Developmental Center

In 1885, the Nebraska legislature enacted legislation to establish the Institution for Feeble Minded Youth near Beatrice, subject to the city's donating a suitable parcel of land. Beatrice donated 40 acres, located east of the city limits, and the first residents were admitted in 1887. Over the following decades, the institution expanded greatly. By 1935, there were 1171 residents living on . The institution was largely self-supporting, operating a farm on which the residents did much of the work; in 1935, were under cultivation. In 1945, the institution was renamed the Beatrice State Home. Its resident population peaked at about 2300 in the late 1960s. From there it declined: new restrictions had been imposed on the use of unpaid labor by residents of institutions, and there was a national trend toward

deinstitutionalization Deinstitutionalisation (or deinstitutionalization) is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability. In the 195 ...

. In 1975, the ''Horacek v.

Exon An exon is any part of a gene that will form a part of the final mature RNA produced by that gene after introns have been removed by RNA splicing. The term ''exon'' refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene and to the corresponding sequence ...

'' lawsuit was settled with a consent decree whereunder many of the residents of the Beatrice State Home were transferred to community-based mental health facilities. In that year, the institution's name was changed to the current Beatrice State Developmental Center. A 2006 investigation by the federal

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer ...

revealed a number of severe deficiencies at the Center; after two years of appeals, the Center lost its

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

certification in 2009. As of 2011, the Center served about 175 clients. The majority had been diagnosed with "severe" or "profound" retardation; nearly all suffered from two or more other disabling conditions.

Geography

Beatrice is located at (40.268449, -96.743192). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 12,261 people, 5,550 households, and 2,907 families in Beatrice. The population density was 1,293.4 per square mile (499.4/km). There were 6,363 housing units at an average density of 671.2 per square mile (259.2/km). The racial makeup was 91.59% (11,230)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.04% (127) black or African-American, 0.55% (67) Native American, 0.73% (89) Asian, 0.01% (1)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.19% (146) from other races, and 4.9% (601) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 2.0% (345) of the population. Of the 5,550 households, 20.6% had children under the age of 18; 39.4% were married couples living together; 34.4% had a female householder with no husband present. 41.5% of households consisted of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.8. 20.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 86.1 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $42,103 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,670) and the median family income $59,107 (+/- $6,583). Males had a median income of $34,698 (+/- $3,160) versus $23,972 (+/- $6,964) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $30,124 (+/- $2,347). Approximately, 10.8% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.5% of those under the age of 18 and 15.1% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 12,459 people, 5,509 households, and 3,296 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 6,075 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 5,509 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 42.6 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 12,496 people, 5,395 households, and 3,301 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,818 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.50%

, 0.34%

, 0.45% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.30% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.96% of the population. There were 5,395 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $33,735, and the median income for a family was $42,472. Males had a median income of $29,976 versus $21,303 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,816. About 7.0% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the

, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Area attractions

* Beatrice Speedway * Gage County Museum, housed in the 1906 Burlington Railroad Depot and operated by the Gage County Historical Society * Homestead National Monument of America * Homestead Trail * Community Players Theatre

Notable people

* George D. Baker (1868–1933), motion picture director of the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era * The Beatrice Six, a group of people wrongly convicted in 1989 of a 1985 rape and murder, exonerated in 2009 * Eudora Stone Bumstead (1860–1892), poet, hymnwriter * Cam Jurgens, NFL player for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

* Clara Bewick Colby (1846–1916), author * Gene L. Coon (1924–1973), screenwriter and television producer * Jim Faulkner (1899–1962), baseball player * John P. Fulton (1902–1966), special effects supervisor and cinematographer * Jim Gillette (b. 1967), glam metal rock musician and lead singer, most notably with

Nitro (band) Nitro was an American glam metal band from Hollywood, California. Formed in 1988, the group originally featured vocalist Jim Gillette, guitarist Michael Angelo Batio, bassist T. J. Racer and drummer Bobby Rock. Nitro released its debut al ...

* Homestead Harmonizers, chorus formed in 1988 * Peter Jansen (1852–1923), sheep rancher, Nebraska state representative and senator * Weldon Kees (1914–1955), poet, critic, novelist, and short story writer * Oliver Kirk (1884–1960), won two gold medals in boxing at the 1904 Summer Olympics * Lou Ann Linehan (b. 1955), member of

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...

* Kevin Meyer (b. 1956),

Lieutenant Governor of Alaska The lieutenant governor of Alaska ( Iñupiaq: ''Alaskam Kavanaata Ikayuqtiksrautaa'') is the deputy elected official to the governor of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unlike most lieutenant governors in the U.S., the office also maintains the dut ...

* Xavier Omon (b. 1985), NFL football player * Algernon Paddock (1830–1897), U.S. Senator from Nebraska * Pid Purdy (1904–1951), athlete who played both

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

and National league football * Janet Shaw (1919–2001), film actress * Robert Taylor (1911–1969), film and television actor * Edward Wight Washburn (1881–1934), chemist * Dora V. Wheelock (1847–1923), temperance activist and writer

In popular culture

Beatrice is the setting for '' The Gallows'', a 2015 found footage movie that was co-written, co-directed and co-produced by Chris Lofing, a graduate of Beatrice High School. A popular story was circulated about a near-miss that occurred in Beatrice, when, at 7:25 pm on March 1, 1950, a church was destroyed by a natural gas explosion five minutes after a scheduled choir practice was to start, but no one was injured because all fifteen members were late, and thus not present at the time of the explosion.

Snopes.com ''Snopes'' (), formerly known as the ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', is a fact-checking website. It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet. The site has also been seen as a source ...

identified this as a true event. It was covered in an episode of '' Unsolved Mysteries''. In June 2022,

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

released a documentary series titled '' Mind Over Murder'' about the '' Beatrice Six'', a group of acquaintances who were falsely convicted of a 1985 rape and murder that took place in Beatrice. A 1970 science fiction novel "The House in November" by Keith Laumer takes place largely in Beatrice, Nebraska.

References

"About Gage County".Gage County website.
Retrieved 2010-12-30.
Retrieved 2010-12-29. "Teaching With Documents: The Homestead Act of 1862".National Archives Teachers' Resources.
Retrieved 2010-12-30.
.

Retrieved 2011-01-23.

Retrieved 2011-01-02.

Retrieved 2011-01-02. Sanny, Mary Lou.
"Beatrice—Gage County."Nebraska... Our Towns.
Retrieved 2010-12-29. City of Beatrice website.
Retrieved 2010-12-02.

Retrieved 2011-01-02. Ahlgren, Carol (1997). Retrieved 2011-01-02. Dobbs, Hugh Jackson (1918).
''History of Gage County, Nebraska''."> ''History of Gage County, Nebraska''.
Retrieved 2010-12-29. ''Horacek v. Exon''.University of Michigan Law School: The Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse.
Retrieved 2011-01-02. Center for Disability Rights, Law and Advocacy (2007).
"An Indictment of Indifference".
Note 23 on p. 12. Retrieved 2011-01-02. Winter, Deena

ttp://journalstar.com/ ''Lincoln Journal Star''. 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2011-01-02. Hicks, Nancy.
"BSDC loses Medicaid funding".''Lincoln Journal Star''.
2009-09-25. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
Retrieved 2010-12-30. Davey, Monica.
''New York Times''.
2010-07-25. Retrieved 2010-12-30.

at Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-03-06. "Nebraska Health and Human Services System Chronological History".

Nebraska Library Commission.
Retrieved 2011-01-02. Kay, John, Lonnie Dickson, Robert Kay and Katherine Fimple. Retrieved 2010-12-29.

External links

City of Beatrice

Gage County tourism

Main Street Beatrice
is a 501 (c)(3) organization accredited as a Certified National Main Street Program, a branch of the National Trust for Historic Preservation ( Main Street Programs in the United States). {{Authority control Cities in Nebraska Micropolitan areas of Nebraska Cities in Gage County, Nebraska County seats in Nebraska