Allen D. Beemer
Encyclopedia
Allen D. Beemer was born near Scranton, Pennsylvania
on December 19, 1842. He was a Civil War
veteran who, after the war, operated a hotel in Franklin, Pennsylvania and a livery stable in Scranton, Pennsylvania
.
In 1869, he moved to West Point, Nebraska
, the county seat of Cuming County. There, he engaged in the hotel business and in the buying and selling of grain and livestock. He held political offices in West Point and was sheriff of Cuming County from 1880 to 1884.
In 1885, Beemer led the effort to plat
a village near the Rock Creek water stop
along the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad
line. The village was named after a settlement on the opposite side of the Elkhorn River
and several miles from the village site; that unincorporated settlement had been named Rock Creek
after the stream on whose banks it was built. The plat was filed at the courthouse in West Point on May 26, 1885, in the names of A.D. Beemer and wife, George Canfield and wife, and K.C. Morehouse and wife.
Beemer worked to build a railway depot building and to construct a bridge across the Elkhorn to connect with the Rock Creek settlement and its important grain and flour mill. In 1886, a post office was established in the village he had platted; it was named the Beemer Post Office. Later that year, 54 residents petitioned the county seat to incorporate their settlement as the Village of Beemer
. Mr. Beemer continued his efforts to develop his namesake village, founding a newspaper called the Beemer Times, and building a hotel, bank building, and livery stable.
In February 1893, he accepted an appointment as Warden of the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln, Nebraska
. He held that post from 1893 to 1895, and again from 1903 until his death on March 28, 1909. He is buried in the Wyuka Cemetery
in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
on December 19, 1842. He was a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran who, after the war, operated a hotel in Franklin, Pennsylvania and a livery stable in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
.
In 1869, he moved to West Point, Nebraska
West Point, Nebraska
West Point is a city in and the county seat of Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,660 at the 2000 census.-History:West Point was first founded in the spring of 1857, when Omaha businessmen formed the Nebraska Settlement Association in order to find suitable townsites in...
, the county seat of Cuming County. There, he engaged in the hotel business and in the buying and selling of grain and livestock. He held political offices in West Point and was sheriff of Cuming County from 1880 to 1884.
In 1885, Beemer led the effort to plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
a village near the Rock Creek water stop
Water stop
A water stop or water station on a railroad is a place where trains stop to replenish water. The stopping of the train itself is also referred to as "water stop". The term originates from the times of steam engines, when large amounts of water were essential...
along the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad
Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad
The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad , sometimes called "the Elkhorn," was an American railroad established in 1869 in Nebraska.-About:...
line. The village was named after a settlement on the opposite side of the Elkhorn River
Elkhorn River
The Elkhorn River originates in the eastern Sandhills of Nebraska and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River, flowing and joining the Platte just southwest of Omaha, approximately 1 mile south and 3 miles west of Gretna.Located in northeast and north-central Nebraska, the Elkhorn...
and several miles from the village site; that unincorporated settlement had been named Rock Creek
Rock Creek (Nebraska)
Rock Creek is a tributary of the Elkhorn River that flows south of Wisner, Nebraska and to the west of Beemer. The railway water stop and original plats where the village of Beemer is now located were named "Rock Creek" before Beemer, was incorporated as a village in 1886.-History:It was the site...
after the stream on whose banks it was built. The plat was filed at the courthouse in West Point on May 26, 1885, in the names of A.D. Beemer and wife, George Canfield and wife, and K.C. Morehouse and wife.
Beemer worked to build a railway depot building and to construct a bridge across the Elkhorn to connect with the Rock Creek settlement and its important grain and flour mill. In 1886, a post office was established in the village he had platted; it was named the Beemer Post Office. Later that year, 54 residents petitioned the county seat to incorporate their settlement as the Village of Beemer
Beemer, Nebraska
Beemer is a village in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 773 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Beemer is located at on the table lands adjoining the Elkhorn River bottoms, 84 miles from Omaha and nine miles northwest of West Point, near the geographic center of Cuming County...
. Mr. Beemer continued his efforts to develop his namesake village, founding a newspaper called the Beemer Times, and building a hotel, bank building, and livery stable.
In February 1893, he accepted an appointment as Warden of the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
. He held that post from 1893 to 1895, and again from 1903 until his death on March 28, 1909. He is buried in the Wyuka Cemetery
Wyuka Cemetery
Wyuka Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1890, Lincoln's Bnai Jeshurun Congregation, a Reform congregation, began using a section of Wyuka.-External links:*...
in Lincoln, Nebraska.