Hiawatha, Washington County, Nebraska Historic Towns: Hiawatha Historic Towns: Hiawatha -Courtesy of Washington County Nebraska History, 1980 Hiawatha was a town located on the river bank east of Cuming City in the early days. It had a sawmill and possibly about 50 inhabitants. The flood of 1857 inundated the town and it vanished without a trace. In that same area, a little north, there were "tree lots" or "tree claims" laid out in the form of a plat. There were four blocks, as in a town site, and at least 60 lots numbered and sold. Many of the prominent names of Cuming City's early days are among the owners. The plat is shown on the 1884 Washington County Atlas. These apparently were timber lots for the Cuming City residents. Back to Top