Beatrice Iron Works 1908 - Beatrice, Nebraska

Beautifully engraved certificate from the Beatrice Iron Works issued in 1908. This historic document has an ornate border around it with a vignette of an eagle perched upon a rock with its wings spread out. This item is hand signed by the company’s president (A. J. Trude) and secretary and is over 92 years old.

History of Beatrice, Nebraska In 1857 a group of pioneers traveling by steamer up the Missouri River from St. Louis to the new Territory of Nebraska, organized "The Nebraska Association" and selected a committee to "explore Nebraska for the purpose of selecting a townsite."

This committee left the boat at Nebraska City, divided themselves into two groups, and set out to find a suitable location for the townsite. One group proceeded directly west from Nebraska City, passing over the spot where Lincoln now stands. The other group traveled in a southwesterly direction, and one night made camp on the banks of Indian Creek at its junction with the Big Blue River. After surveying the beautiful streams and rolling prairie surrounding their camp, they decided their quest was at an end. The association approved this site at a meeting in Omaha on May 20, 1857, and the town was named Beatrice in honor of Julia Beatrice Kinney, eldest daughter of judge J. F. Kinney, first president of the Nebraska Association.

In 1873, Beatrice was incorporated, and it became a key town in the development of Nebraska. By 1895, Beatrice had reached the proportions of a flourishing Midwest City, and since 1900 has enjoyed a steady growth due to an economy well divided between agricultural development and manufacturing expansion.

On January 1, 1863, when the National Homestead Act became effective, hundreds of settlers flocked to local land offices to file their "claims." Daniel Freeman made the first "claim" under the National Homestead Act. The U.S. Government purchased the original Freeman homestead from his descendants; and on January 3, 1939, it was designated as the Homestead National Monument of America. The monument is located three and one-half miles northwest of Beatrice on State Highway 4. By direction of Congress, the monument was dedicated as a "proper" memorial emblematical of the hardships and the pioneer life through which the early settlers passed in the settlement, cultivation, and civilization of the great West.

Beatrice is the county seat of Gage County and is a major retail center for the surrounding area. A shopping mall was built on the north edge of Beatrice in 1972. In 1973 the town began a rejuvenation project and many old building fronts were restored to their original splendor. In 1993 a new development project on north Highway 77 resulted in a major retail expansion.