Scott Township

Location – Second tier of townships, second from west
        Sartoria Township on the north (Sartoria community, no towns)
        Grant Township (Amherst) on the south
        Armada Township (Miller) on the west
        Rusco Township on the east (Peake community, no towns)

Deer Creek flows west to east through the northern part of the township, emptying into the Loup. It has some tributaries. There are also some tributaries to the Wood River in the southeast part of the township.

Mixed farming and grassland.

Electricity – Early 50’s.
        The last portion of the county to be covered by REA
        Sub-station at Miller.
        Served remaining portions of northwest corner of Buffalo County – Harrison, Sartoria, Armada, Scott townships.

First settlers –

        First was Benjamin Scott, 1873, who settled on Deer Creek.
        J. J. Moore came in 1778. He also lived on Deer Creek.
        Another early family was the Sohrweids who still have descendants in the area.

        5 sections apparently had no residents in 1910
        10 sections currently have no residents – (2004 Farm & Home Plat & Directory)

Taylor Precinct – 1881
Taylor Precinct was made up of present day Harrison and Sartoria Townships and the north three tiers of sections in Scott Township.

Residents in what was to become Scott Township included:
J. S. Seeman (240 acres), Ben Scott (160 acres), and John Swensen (80 acres). He also owned 160 acres four miles north in Sartoria Township.

Formation of Scott Township - Aug. 27, 1887

Joint meeting of Sartoria and Scott townships.
Part of Sartoria township (three tiers of sections) went to Scott township
Township property had to be divided with Scott township getting 1/3.
        ($8.25 and one road scraper)
Other three tiers apparently came from Grant township on the south.

Schools –
District 80 – Liberty Hill –

Located in the NE ¼ of Section 27 (5 miles northeast of Amherst)

1884 – sod schoolhouse, 15 children,
        Poor attendance because of weather, disease and farm work.
1887 – Built a frame building.
1923 – Replaced with a new building which was used until the district dissolved in 1986.
1990 the building serves as the Liberty Hill Community Hall.
        The schoolhouse also held religious services in 1889 and was a polling place for many years.

In the early days there were Indians in the surrounding hills. Students were told not to tease them or treat them rudely. On one occasion a boy threw a clod at one, who retaliated. The children and teacher rushed to the security of the schoolhouse and prayed for deliverance. They must have been safe because one student was Paul Taubenheim, who was the first of four generations to attend Liberty Hill.

[Paul had a son, Elmer, who had twin sons, Tom and Terry. Tom passed away recently (summer 2004). Terry lives in Amherst.]

District 90 – Maple Grove/Prairie Rose –

Located in the NW ¼ of Section 5 (about 9 mile north of Amherst)

The district was organized in 1885/6 and called Maple Grove.
The first building was sod.
A frame building was constructed in 1889/90.

1957 - The district merged with District 89.

        School was held in the Dist. 90 building and the name was changed to Prairie Rose.
1958 - This combined district merged with Dist. 111

1970 - Merged with Amherst Dist. 119

District 102 – Lone Star –

Located in the SE ¼ of Section 19 (6 miles east & 4 miles north of Amherst)

        This district was organized in 1886. For the first year school was held in a home. Then in 1887 a sod schoolhouse was built. A frame building was built in 1892.
        No classes met after the 1942 school year. When the district was finally dissolved in 1953 part of it was attached to Dist. 80. The last school board served from 1938 to 1954.

Another school in NE corner of Section 10 in 1919
        Not near enough to Amherst to be included in their book

Immanuel Lutheran Church school –

        Started in 1882.

        Met in the sod church until 1892 when a frame schoolhouse was built.

        The pastor taught the school until 1911. Then teachers were hired.

        The school closed in 1950.

Church/Cemetery – One
Immanuel Lutheran Church was located in the SE corner of Section 20.
        They met in homes until a sod church was built in 1885.
        When a new building was built in 1889, stone for the foundation was quarried from the hillside by the Wood River. A caravan of 24 wagons brought building materials from Kearney.
        It served 87 years, was torn down in 1972 when the church disbanded and its members joined Trinity Lutheran at Amherst.
        All that remains on the site now is the cemetery.

T. J. Parrish –
Born in Shelby County, Indiana, September 28, 1848 (according to Bassett)
        Lived on the home farm until 17
        Began clerking in a hardware store in Franklin, Indiana
1874 – came to Kearney. Clerked in the hardware store of V. B. Clarke 5 years.
        Secured a homestead and timber claim in Sartoria township
1879 – Established his own hardware store in Kearney.
        Some of his customers were Indians.
1885 – Sold hardware store and bought a ranch on the Loup River near Sartoria which he and his brother, Frank, operated.

        Bought railroad land and accumulated 2000 acres.

        He raised pure bred Polled Angus cattle and Duroc Jersey hogs.

        He also owned a farm north of Glenwood School
        T. J. continued to live in Kearney.
Married Miss Letitia Megran, a native of Stevens Point, WI (a social event)
        Four children –
        Frank – worked with his father in ranching business
                (father of Virginia and Arlene – Mrs. Delbert Kahle)
        Leo – in insurance business in Boise, Idaho
        Jay – an attorney in Boise, Idaho
        Ina – married Frank L. Empey of Kearney
Active in the community - stockholder in the cotton mill, in a military school, a bank and in other enterprises which have contributed to the welfare and improvement of the community. He was one of the first trustees of the Presbyterian Church.

Died in 1925 (at age 75 according to Kearney Cemetery records.)