Vacoma, Washington County, Nebraska Historic Towns: Vacoma Historic Towns: Vacoma -Courtesy of Washington County Nebraska History, 1980 Vacoma was a village in the northwest part of Grant Township, located about nin miles southwest of Herman. The village took its name from the first two letters of the names of three early settlers: Va - James Van Valin, Co - Vital Coupal, and Ma - Malcom Cameron. Other prominent early residents of the area included O. H. Sheridan, Andrew Johnson, J. H. Hungate, Neils Rasmussen, Adolph Lazure, Thomas Wilson, and sons Ed and Mike. Platted in Section 7, Township 19, Range 10, the village consisted of a store and Post Office, church, school, blacksmith shop, broom factory, two houses, and nearby orchards. One of the store owners was C. J. Robinson, who along with his wife operated the store for many years. The store, after being used as a farm building for many years, has since been torn down. Two men by the last name of Johnsons had the blacksmith shop. It is said they had lots of money but never put any of it in the bank. A Mr. Henry Lamb raised a special kind of corn and had a broom factory. He busied himself peddling his brooms in the area. There was also a church located near the store. It burned down but later on, a mile south and a half mile west, and again a half mile south, another church was organized. St. John's German Evangelical Lutheran of Vacoma, which originally started in the home of Ernest Meier on March 23, 1893, was located on the northeast corner of the south half of the southeast quarter of Section 13, Township 19, Range 9 in the Sheridan Township. Fred Peterson and his wife sold the land to the church for $80. Church services were first held in the Johnson School, District #50, a mile south of the actual church property. The first pastor was Christian Sick from the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church of Fontanelle. Other pastors came from Tekamah, Fontanelle, Hooper, and Fremont. German services were help twice each month until the English language was more frequently used. The church was officially closed on February 12, 1963 and auctioned off. The church building was razed in 1970. The Vacoma cemetery lies beside the church site. Back to Top