A ride down Main Street in Seneca displays its rich historical heritage. The street itself is one of the few left in the Midwest that is still paved with brick. Many of the buildings, lining this street and elsewhere in town, are rich with historical lore. Their facades reveal dates of establishments from the 1800's, and may others attest to their use at the turn of the century.

The soil of Seneca could have been trod upon by white men over 300 years before Seneca was actually born. In 1451, during his explorations, Vasquez de Coronado is said to have reached the Kansas-Nebraska border somewhere in the vicinity of Seneca. He described the land as rich and fertile with huge herds of buffalo and abundant deer.

J. B. Ingersoll, an early settler, also must have thought the area to be good territory, since he chose this area to stake his claim. He arrived here in the winter of 1857-58 and proceeded, with the help of another man, to build a sturdy double-walled log cabin. In one of the logs in the house, "Rock Castle" was inscribed; thus, Seneca was first known as "Rock Castle." This name was short-lived, however, as the following year it was changed to Seneca when the town company of Samuel Lappin, Charles G. Scrafford, Royal U. Torrey, and Finley Lappin took over the claim from Ingersoll. It is thought that Seneca was named after an Ohio town of the same name, as one of the men was familiar with the Ohio town. The cabin, built by Ingersoll, was taken over by Finley Lappin, who used half of the building for his home and the remaining as a grocery store and hotel. From this humble beginning, Seneca grew to what it is today.

Vital to any town's growth at the time was control of the county seat. After securing the county seat, Seneca steadily grew and prospered. In 1858, the population was tiny; six people lived in Seneca and only one house and one blacksmith's shop stood in town. Seven years later, in 1865, the town had increased to 301 people and 56 buildings. The population continued to grow and by 1882 there were 1,519 people who called Seneca "home." The growth of Seneca was influenced by its being on the routes of several major trails. Seneca was also fortunate enough to have a railroad line starting in 1870. The readily available transportation caused many businesses to grow in Seneca.

The man who possibly contributed the most to Seneca's success, however, was John E. Smith. In about 1858, Smith came to Seneca. He was responsible for bringing the first mill to Nemaha County. More important to these accomplishments, though, was his work in providing a road to Seneca. Because of his efforts, including the building of a bridge over the Nemaha River, Seneca joined the popular Overland Trail. Not only was Seneca now on the Overland Trail, it also, because of Smith's crossing, became part of the military road between Fort Kearney and Fort Leavenworth, the Overland Stage Route, and the Pony Express Route.

Seneca at one time could even boast of a college, although it has long since been closed. In 1881 Jacob Van Loan died and left $3,000 dollars to be used for education in Seneca. The money was used to build a school building in memory of Van Loan. Currently, the building is being used as a personal residence.

Seneca's lore also includes a story of gold buried just north of town by two young easterners during the gold rush days. The fate of the treasure still remains a mystery.

In a time when many small towns have seen their demise, Seneca still remains full of life and activity. Seneca plays host to a myriad of industries and businesses and is home to about 2,500 citizens. These citizens' needs are well served by the town's many service organizations, churches, businesses, and governmental agencies and divisions. A new multi-million dollar hospital takes care of all the community's health needs, while the local volunteer fire department, widely recognized for its dependability and skill, insures the safety of Seneca's residents in over 100 years of service.

A ride through the streets in town gives a glimpse into history as well as a look at the present. One might notice the huge well in the city park, the second largest hand dug well in the state, or the stone marker on Main Street commemorating the Pony Express's route through here. One might even stop awhile to browse through the old county jail which now houses a historical museum.

The present and future is viewed as new houses are constructed and industries find their way to Seneca. These accomplishments, along with the optimism of its people point to Seneca's future as bright and promising.

written by Mark Fleury

July 1996