Newman Grove, NE

Newman Grove is a city in Madison County, with a small portion extending into Platte County, Nebraska. The 2020 census counted 667 residents. Nebraska Highway 45 passes through as 8th Street, and the city sits in the Shell Creek Valley west of Norfolk. Newman Grove Public Schools serve the area, while the county line and the railroad-era street plan show how the city grew beyond one township. Farm country surrounds the city, with Platte County’s larger commercial center in Columbus to the south.

Newman Grove began as a settlement near a cottonwood grove planted by Newman Warren and his family. The community first formed along the stage route through Shell Creek Valley, then moved to higher ground when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad chose the town in 1886. Newman Grove incorporated in 1888, and some of the original cottonwoods remain near the city park and golf course. The old grove, highway, railroad, and county line still give the city its shape. Newman Grove is a small Nebraska city with a family name in its trees and a railroad town underneath the newer streets.