Burt

Formed December 23, 1854 (2^nd county)

Burt County (6,727), Tekamah (1,713)

The tan brick and masonry Beaux Arts courthouse, on 13^th Street between M and N streets, was built in 1915.  Thirteenth Street is United States Highway 75 passing through the town.  Rose and Peterson were the building architects.  The facility features faux columns.  The grounds have veteran memorials and a military tank.  An 1878 wooden courthouse preceded the current one also in Tekamah, the only county seat.  The county was formed on December 23, 1854 as the 2^nd county.  Burt County is named for Territorial Governor Francis Burt.  The county seat is Native American for “big cottonwoods.”  Burt County was the birthplace for 1 Nebraska Governor, F. Valdemar E. Peterson. 

Burt County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors.  Three District Court Judges and Four County Court Judges serve Burt, Cedar, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Thurston and Washington counties.  Burt County is on the eastern border with Iowa.  Omaha, Nebraska is south and Sioux City, Iowa is north.  The county center is 7.5 miles Northwest of Tekamah nearer Craig.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Thurston County and Iowa and Washington, Dodge, and Cuming counties. 

The area of the county is 493 square miles.  It is 76 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 43 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 13.6 persons per square mile making it 33 out of 93 in the state.  Burt County has 67.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 75 goes north to south through the county from Thurston County to Washington County.  United States Highway 77 travels north to south from Thurston County to Dodge County.  The county looks like a bowl of popcorn spilled to the east.  Tekamah is in the southeast corner of the county.  Tekamah is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 25.5% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced TEK-A-MA.