Washington, Washington County, Nebraska Paper Towns: Washington Paper Towns: Washington -Courtesy of Washington County Nebraska History, 1980 In 1855 and 1856 there were several "paper towns" platted. These were money-making schemes in which an individual or a group laid out town lots on paper, then sold the lots in advance. The towns never materialized. One of these was Washington, whose site was in part of Sections 17 and 18 of the Lincoln Township, just south of Highway 91. The plat was filed May 30, 1857, by E. Hicks Clark, surveyor, Levi Kime, D. McDonald, Daniel Franklin, and others. Clark was a prominent early Fort Calhoun citizen. The promoters had hoped to make Washington the capital of Nebraska. Although there was only one cabin on the site at the time of the contest, Washington did receive a few votes. The failure to gain its goal spelled the finish, and the town did not take shape. There was, however, a post office designated by the government, and several postmasters appointed to serve in their homes. These included James R. Tharp, Simon Larsen, Miss Jennie Priestly, Warren Billings, and Hartwig Scholz. It was discontinued in 1877. Back to Top