Fontanelle Township Hall

Near the western edge of Washington County, an old, but well-kept, building has now been placed on a registry that will insure its preservation for years to come. The Fontanelle Township Hall, one of the oldest structures in one of Nebraska's oldest towns, recently was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Constructed in 1855-65, the building was cited by the National Register as "a well-preserved example of a somewhat uncommon building type in Nebraska; the township meeting hall."

The one-room brick meeting hall was built by H. J. Carpenter for $563 and was the site where voters met to make decisions on local matters. The hall still contains township records and law books from the 1800's.

Founded in 1854, Fontanelle is one of the state's oldest towns. It was under consideration to become the state capital at one time, and Nebraska University once located there as the first college west of the Missouri River.

Source: The Enterprise, Nov. 1982