Why MAJORS Cemetery?

We received this inquiry:

Would like to know how this cemetery got it's name as there seems to be no Majors' buried in the cemetery.
Thank you,
Janet MAJORS Myers
 

We answered:

Janet,
        You asked a very interesting question. It's so easy to take names for granted and not ask why. Majors was a community in Cedar Township south of Ravenna, north of Gibbon. There was a school, a post office in a home, and Presbyterian church with a cemetery but a town never developed. All are gone now except the cemetery.
        I had to go to our "bible" on the history of the county – Samuel Bassett's History of Buffalo County, 1916, to find the answer. The person who wrote the history of Cedar Township, [the Honorable James E Miller, state senator] included this information:

"We first got our mail at Gibbon, then changed to Kearney.
During the summer of 1879 we sent a petition to Washington for a mail
route and a postoffice. We failed to send a name for the office, so the
postoffice department named the office Majors, in honor of the
blue-shirted statesman of Nemaha County, Col. Thomas J. Majors."

So now we know why there are no Majors buried in the Majors Cemetery.

Midway Hotel
 

First Midway –
Started in 1886. Completed in 1887. Informal opening Feb. 15, 1888, Official opening Feb. 24
(Immigrant family hired to clean the new hotel before opening)

Bachelor’s Protective Union and the Owls for singles held social activities there.

Fire – March 24, 1890 – Windy day

Coroner’s Jury verdicts:

On March 24th after 2:30 p.m. William Schreve fell off a pile of lumber, death was accidental, the lumber was blown over by a severe wind.

Fort Kearney Hotel

May 9, 1917 - Sketch of 7-story hotel in Hub and story about plans to build

July 11, 1917 – construction began. Building completed and plumbing installed before WWI started and financial problems arose.

1927 – C of C decided this vacant building should be completed. Their project for that year.
Opened for business Oct 11.

1971 – Hotel closed, bought by group of Kearney businessmen who sold it to First National Bank.

1973 – torn down

First floor - C of C office suite in northwest corner. Italian Room for small meetings, newsstand, barber shop. Elevator.

Second floor – Crystal ballroom, named for 2 crystal chandeliers. Green Room

Seventh floor – John Henry’s apartment. Bars on windows so baby would not climb out.

Activities – Junior and Senior proms, sorority and fraternity parties, conventions.
Coffee Dunkers Assoc. complete with membership roster – now at library