Hastings, NE

Hastings Iconic Images 

Burlington Underpass. The Burlington Underpass, which still exists today in Hastings, was a WPA Project. In this 1930s photograph, the structure is under construction.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]

Underpass. From the 1930s until the present, the completed Burlington Underpass has carried railway locomotives and train cars through Hastings, while preventing passing trains from obstructing local traffic on Burlington Avenue, a main thoroughfare in Hastings. No one could live in Hastings long without being familiar with this structure. Even today, during heavy rains, a common question is whether the "Underpass" has flooded or whether it is still passable.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]

State Theatre. During the 1930s, movie theatres were especially popular. They provided a common, inexpensive escape from the real world. A number of theatres were located in Hastings, among them the State Theatre.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]

Rivoli Theatre Interior. The Rivoli Theatre, still functioning today, is one of the most recognized icons in Hastings. The elaborate interior suggests an illusionary world of wealth and pleasure, exactly what the movie industry intended as a means to draw people away from the difficulties that faced them and provided a sense of hope for better things to come. At the movies, the people of the 1930s could vicariously fulfill their dreams.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]

Fisher Fountain. Fisher Fountain was constructed as a WPA Project. Built as a temporary exhibit at the 1932 Adams County Fair, the structure was soon moved to a permanent location at Highland Park. Fisher Fountain was considered a symbol of hope during the 1930s. Colored lights beaming through the gushing fountain created a spectacular array on summer nights. The original structure was vandalized in 1984. The community was outraged and immediately replaced this icon.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]

Coal Refueling Station. Hastings was established in 1872 as a railroad junction and transportation center. Railroads have always been part and parcel of the community's history and key to the economic success of the region. This 1930s photograph would have been a typical structure on the edge of the community, critical to the maintenance of the railroad industry.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]

Grain Elevator. In the 1930s, grain storage buildings were made of wood and fitted with mechanical systems to move the grain in and out, up and down, thus the term Grain Elevator. The wood construction, of course, increased the chance of fire; but at the time, this was the most practical building material. Coming in all shapes, sizes, and heights, grain elevators were synonymous with the Great Plains in the 1930s. Constructed of more sturdy materials today, grain elevators still dot the countryside. The structure pictured here is located in Adams County just outside of Juniata.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]

Hastings Public Library. In 1903, Andrew Carnegie announced a gift of $15,000 to Hastings for the construction of a public library. On April 27, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt turned the first shovelful of dirt at the corner of Fourth and Denver. The building was demolished in 1961 to make room for the present library.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]

St. Paul's German Lutheran Church. Hastings has been known from its founding as the "city of churches." Indeed, beautiful churches rise up to the Nebraska skies from all sections of the city. The St. Paul German Lutheran Church is one of the earliest and most prominent. Located along Burlington Avenue, the church, as pictured, would have been a common site to anyone entering the city in the 1930s. Today, the same church, though extensively expanded, still stands parallel to Burlington Avenue, the main material cutting through the city.
[Photograph courtesy of the Adams County Historical Society Photo Collection.]