Nuckolls

Formed January 1, 1860 (36^th county)

Nuckolls County (4,096), Nelson (460), Superior (1,824)                

The outstanding tan brick and stone courthouse was constructed in 1890.  It sits on a square surrounded by Main, 1^st, Wheeler, and 2^nd streets.  Main Street is Nebraska State Highway 14 in the town.  Nuckolls County was organized on January 1, 1860 from Native American Territory as the 36^th county with Nelson as the only county seat.  The Beaux Arts and Italianate building designer was George E. McDonald.  The structure features a tower with a working clock.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  The county is named for pioneer Stephen F. Nuckolls.  The county seat is named for settler Nelson Wheeler. 

Nuckolls County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Three District Court Judges serve Nuckolls, Clay, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline and Thayer counties and Three County Court Judges serve Nuckolls, Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Franklin, Harlan, Kearney, Phelps, and Webster counties.  The county is located on the southern border with Kansas.  Grand Island, Nebraska is northwest and Lincoln, Nebraska is northeast of the county.  The county center is 2.9 miles Southeast of Nelson.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Clay, Fillmore, and Thayer counties and Kansas and Webster and Adams counties. 

The area of the county is 575 square miles.  It is 48 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 59 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 7.1 persons per square mile making it 54 out of 93 in the state.  Nuckolls County has 69.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 136 crosses the county east to west from Thayer County to Webster County.  Nuckolls County is a rectangle.  Nelson is north of center in the county.  Superior is near the southern border of the county.  Nelson is the county seat and Superior is the largest city.  Nelson is 11.2% of the county population while Superior is 44.5% of the county population.  The county is pronounced NUK-ULS.

Superior