Hershey, Nebraska

Hershey was established as a station on the Union Pacific Railroad.{{cite web | url=http://www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/lincoln/hershey/ | title=Hershey, Lincoln County | publisher=University of Nebraska | work=Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies | access-date=August 19, 2014}} It was named for J. H. Hershey, a pioneer settler.{{cite web | url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=27423 | title=Profile for Hershey, NE | publisher=ePodunk | access-date=August 19, 2014}}{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dlas_EPVGFEC | title=Nebraska Place-Names | publisher=University of Nebraska Press | author=Fitzpatrick, Lillian L. | year=1960 |isbn=0-8032-5060-6 | pages=95}} A [http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=englishunsllc 1925 edition] is available for download at [http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ University of Nebraska—Lincoln Digital Commons.] The locations of the pre-existing O'Fallon's and Nichol's Stations are shown on an 1884 map of Lincoln County.{{Cite book|url=https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/workspace/handleMediaPlayer?lunaMediaId=RUMSEY~8~1~29011~1130108|title=Official State Atlas of Nebraska|publisher=Everts & Kirk|year=1885|location=Philadelphia}} An 1894 map shows the Hershey Station, to the west of Nichol's Station.I. A. Fort, Map of Lincoln County, Nebraska (1894). The original town—consisting of 24 lots laid out in two square blocks—was platted on February 5, 1892, by Annie S. Guthrie.Ira L. Bare & Will H. McDonald, An Illustrated History of Lincoln County, Nebraska and Her People (American Historical Society, 1920).Standard Atlas of Lincoln County, Nebraska 1907 (Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1907).

By 1900, Hershey had about 20 resident families and a population of 80.1900 United States Census, Nichol's Precinct, Lincoln County, Nebraska, E.D. 152, p. 7, line 5 to p. 8, line 84. This included a blacksmith (Alfred Leister), two merchants (Joseph Strickler and Martin Mickelsen), a lumberman (Weston Hill), a liveryman (Horace Stone), a doctor (William Eves), a postmaster (John Pricket), a minister (William Evans), and two railroad foremen. There were about 64 farm families (including laborers working for others) in the surrounding Nichols Precinct. Most families were of American origin, although there were five German families, and one or two each of Swedish, French, Scottish, Dutch, Bohemian and Canadian background.1900 United States Census, Nichol's Precinct, Lincoln County, Nebraska, E.D. 152, pp. 1-10. The village was incorporated in April 1909.

Between 1900 and 1920, Hershey grew rapidly and added the structural foundation, commercial attractions, and social amenities of an important economic center for the surrounding area.  A local newspaper, the Hershey Times, began publication in 1911.  In 1913, a bond issue was approved providing for public water and electric lights.  A telephone exchange was introduced in 1914.  Businesses in Hershey in 1920, in addition to those present in 1900, included two mills (one of which, an alfalfa mill, burned in March 1920), two elevators, a hotel, two banks, three agricultural implement dealers, a cement works, an automobile dealer, a garage, a tire store, a meat market, a drug store, a restaurant, a number of dealers in agricultural products, including stock and hay, a barber, and an Opera House.  There were three churches, the Methodist, Presbyterian (54 members), and Lutheran (40 members), and a number of fraternal organizations, including the Odd Fellows (63 members), Yeomanry (39 members), Modern Woodmen of the World, Royal Neighbors and Mystic Legion.

Hershey is located between the North and South Platte rivers in the midst of good agricultural land, much of it irrigated.  From an early date, agricultural production emphasized stock raising, alfalfa, and sugar beets. The sugar beet industry was encouraged by a tariff on sugar enacted in 1897.{{Cite journal|last=Davis|first=Roger|date=2001|title=Latinos Along the Platte: The Hispanic Experience in Central Nebraska|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/188048246.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008200145/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/188048246.pdf |archive-date=October 8, 2020 |url-status=live|journal=Great Plains Research|volume=12|pages=32}} In 1905, there were 721 acres in Nicols Precinct planted to sugar beets. Shipments from Hershey in 1919 included 904 rail carloads of hay and 279 carloads of sugar beets.  While the sugar content of the beets raised near Hershey was high, the volume was long insufficient to support a processing plant.Ira L. Bare & Will H. McDonald, An Illustrated History of Lincoln County, Nebraska and Her People (American Historical Society, 1920), pp. 86-87, 284.

Both the railroad and the sugar beet industries were labor intensive, attracting additional immigrant groups to supply that labor.  These groups included Russian Germans (ethnic Germans from Russia), Japanese and Mexicans.  In 1900, there were three Russian families in the Hershey area (Henry Haff, George Amen, and Conrad Amen), two of whom had become farmers in their own right.1900 U.S. Census, Nichols Precinct, Lincoln County, Nebraska, E.D. 152, sh. 3.  By 1910, there had been a substantial influx of Swedish settlers, most engaged in farming. There were also two households of Japanese men in Nichols Precinct, without wives, one consisting of seven men working for the railroad and one of four men engaged in farming.1910 U.S. Census, Nichols Precinct, Lincoln County, Nebraska, E.D. 179, sh. 8A & 8B.  By 1920, there were eight Japanese families in Hershey itself, all engaged in farming.1920 U.S. Census, Hershey, Lincoln County, Nebraska, E.D. 192. The Mexican community repeated the pattern: in 1920, there were three Mexican households in Hershey, including young men working for the railroad. By the late 1920s, there were 19 Mexican families in Hershey.  Both the Japanese and Mexican families were important parts of the community thereafter.

Hershey is located on the Union Pacific Railroad's Overland Route.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of {{convert|0.61|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=June 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 25, 2012 }}

{{Weather box

| location = Hershey 5 SSE, Nebraska (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1965–present)

| single line = Y

| Jan record high F = 74

| Feb record high F = 80

| Mar record high F = 90

| Apr record high F = 95

| May record high F = 100

| Jun record high F = 110

| Jul record high F = 110

| Aug record high F = 109

| Sep record high F = 104

| Oct record high F = 94

| Nov record high F = 86

| Dec record high F = 75

| year record high F = 110

|Jan avg record high F = 61.2

|Feb avg record high F = 66.4

|Mar avg record high F = 76.9

|Apr avg record high F = 84.8

|May avg record high F = 90.8

|Jun avg record high F = 96.7

|Jul avg record high F = 100.3

|Aug avg record high F = 98.1

|Sep avg record high F = 95.3

|Oct avg record high F = 87.3

|Nov avg record high F = 74.3

|Dec avg record high F = 63.6

|year avg record high F = 101.5

| Jan high F = 38.9

| Feb high F = 42.0

| Mar high F = 52.8

| Apr high F = 61.5

| May high F = 71.4

| Jun high F = 82.5

| Jul high F = 88.3

| Aug high F = 86.5

| Sep high F = 79.1

| Oct high F = 65.4

| Nov high F = 51.4

| Dec high F = 40.5

| year high F = 63.4

| Jan mean F = 26.6

| Feb mean F = 29.3

| Mar mean F = 38.6

| Apr mean F = 47.2

| May mean F = 57.8

| Jun mean F = 68.6

| Jul mean F = 74.3

| Aug mean F = 72.4

| Sep mean F = 64.0

| Oct mean F = 50.5

| Nov mean F = 37.7

| Dec mean F = 28.1

| year mean F = 49.6

| Jan low F = 14.4

| Feb low F = 16.5

| Mar low F = 24.3

| Apr low F = 33.0

| May low F = 44.1

| Jun low F = 54.8

| Jul low F = 60.4

| Aug low F = 58.3

| Sep low F = 48.8

| Oct low F = 35.7

| Nov low F = 23.9

| Dec low F = 15.7

| year low F = 35.8

|Jan avg record low F = -6.0

|Feb avg record low F = -2.1

|Mar avg record low F = 6.5

|Apr avg record low F = 19.0

|May avg record low F = 31.4

|Jun avg record low F = 43.8

|Jul avg record low F = 51.7

|Aug avg record low F = 49.2

|Sep avg record low F = 35.3

|Oct avg record low F = 19.7

|Nov avg record low F = 7.9

|Dec avg record low F = -2.1

|year avg record low F = -10.8

| Jan record low F = −23

| Feb record low F = −27

| Mar record low F = −15

| Apr record low F = 5

| May record low F = 23

| Jun record low F = 28

| Jul record low F = 42

| Aug record low F = 41

| Sep record low F = 22

| Oct record low F = 2

| Nov record low F = −7

| Dec record low F = −31

| year record low F = −31

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 0.23

| Feb precipitation inch = 0.43

| Mar precipitation inch = 0.85

| Apr precipitation inch = 1.99

| May precipitation inch = 3.33

| Jun precipitation inch = 3.82

| Jul precipitation inch = 2.68

| Aug precipitation inch = 2.21

| Sep precipitation inch = 1.58

| Oct precipitation inch = 1.79

| Nov precipitation inch = 0.38

| Dec precipitation inch = 0.29

| year precipitation inch = 19.58

| Jan snow inch = 3.7

| Feb snow inch = 6.3

| Mar snow inch = 4.0

| Apr snow inch = 4.0

| May snow inch = 0.1

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.1

| Oct snow inch = 1.6

| Nov snow inch = 2.2

| Dec snow inch = 4.9

| year snow inch = 26.9

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 3.0

| Feb precipitation days = 4.2

| Mar precipitation days = 5.1

| Apr precipitation days = 7.5

| May precipitation days = 10.1

| Jun precipitation days = 9.3

| Jul precipitation days = 8.1

| Aug precipitation days = 6.2

| Sep precipitation days = 5.8

| Oct precipitation days = 5.6

| Nov precipitation days = 3.2

| Dec precipitation days = 3.1

| year precipitation days = 71.2

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

| Jan snow days = 2.8

| Feb snow days = 3.6

| Mar snow days = 2.3

| Apr snow days = 1.7

| May snow days = 0.0

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.0

| Oct snow days = 0.7

| Nov snow days = 1.6

| Dec snow days = 2.6

| year snow days = 15.3

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=lbf

| title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| accessdate = November 29, 2021}}

{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00253810&format=pdf

| title = Station: Hershey 5 SSE, NE

| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = November 29, 2021}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1910= 332

|1920= 482

|1930= 473

|1940= 487

|1950= 573

|1960= 504

|1970= 526

|1980= 633

|1990= 579

|2000= 572

|2010= 665

|2020= 649

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

}}

As of the census{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 24, 2012}} of 2010, there were 665 people, 266 households, and 193 families residing in the village. The population density was {{convert|1090.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 292 housing units at an average density of {{convert|478.7|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the village was 90.5% White, 0.3% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 5.6% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.9% of the population.

There were 266 households, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.4% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the village was 40.6 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

As of the census of 2000, there were 572 people, 232 households, and 167 families residing in the village. The population density was {{convert|1,142.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 249 housing units at an average density of {{convert|497.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the village was 91.61% White, 0.17% African American, 0.52% Asian, 6.82% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.62% of the population.

There were 232 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $36,875, and the median income for a family was $43,000. Males had a median income of $31,500 versus $16,848 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,791. About 9.7% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

• Ben Kuroki
• Walt Golvin, baseball player

• {{wikivoyage inline|Hershey (Nebraska)|Hershey, Nebraska}}

{{Lincoln County, Nebraska}}

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Category:Villages in Lincoln County, Nebraska

Category:Villages in Nebraska

Category:North Platte Micropolitan Statistical Area