Cozad History

John J. Cozad was traveling west on the Union Pacific Railroad when he saw the “100th Meridian” sign. It impressed him as a favorable site for a town. Returning to Ohio, he organized a company of people which he brought to this location and founded the town named after him.The 100th Meridian” is an important natural demarcation line where “the humid east meets the arid west”. Therefore, you are now officially in the West, as proclaimed by the State of Nebraska.

This one room country school was built about the year 1880 on a site nine miles north and west of the City of Cozad. The school was called “The Adle School” because it was on Adle land. In the one room was a big coal burning stove. Every day the pail of water was carried to school until eventually a pump was put outdoors near the schoolhouse. This was a very active school, not only full of students in the daytime, but many evening community activities were held there. There was a neighborhood PTA, a Literary Society, and a Grange Group that met there monthly. There were parties, programs, box suppers and even dances held there.

The Little Church by the Park was originally known as New Hope Evangelical. It was the center of most social activities. Not only were there services on Sunday and Wednesday nights and weddings and funerals, but it was used for Ladies Aid Society, Quilting Parties, Potluck Suppers, Box Socials, birthday and anniversary celebrations and all types of parties that did not include dancing.

The little white frame church, known as the New Hope Evangelical Congregation was built in 1909 on an acre of ground northwest of Cozad. About 1920 country people began to have automobiles and went to town quite often. They joined the Cozad Evangelical Church in town. In 1921 the little white frame church was sold to a new group called The Christian Science Society and was moved to Cozad on 10th Street north of the Cozad City Park, now named the Veterans’ Memorial Park. The Christian Science Society held services in the little church by the park until 1981. It is now used as a chapel, a meeting place for small gatherings, and art shows by the Cozad Art Club and is known as “The Little Church By the Park”.

Cozad is located right on the historic Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway stretched across 3,389 miles beginning construction in 1913 when a group of American industrialists envisioned a “continuous improved highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific, open to lawful traffic of all description, without toll charges, and to be a lasting memorial to Abraham Lincoln.”

The Lincoln Highway banner is proudly displayed right in front of the Robert Henri Historical Walkway as part of its official route and an original Lincoln Highway marker with Medallion can be viewed in the front window of the 100th Meridian Museum.