Meadow Grove Celebrates 130th Anniversary

It’s a blip on the map of Northeast Nebraska.

Meadow Grove, population 301, is located 15 miles west of Norfolk on Highway 275 and represents just a 30 second drive by for many. But for those who call or called it home, Meadow Grove’s 130 year history is much more.

“It’s my heritage,” Linda Lewis-Nelson said. “That’s how I feel about it.”

Joy Griffith, Linda Lewis-Nelson and Rose Jeanine Lewis are descendant’s of PV Lewis, the founder of Meadow Grove. They organized an a town anniversary open house at the Community Building, something Lewis-Nelson has done every year since the town turned 125 back in 2011. The citizens who gathered brushed up on their history.

“Our great-grandfather came here with the Mormons,” Griffith said.“He kind of tagged along with the Mormon wagon trains.”

And of course they reminisced on memories.

“Our grandfather was blind and we would lead him up town,” Lewis-Nelson said. “He could perfectly find his way uptown on his own, but I always thought it was cool to lead him up town.”

They were eager to share the town’s claims to fame. Like how Meadow Grove hosted the first outdoor movies.

“Yeah they had free outdoor movies down where this square is. A this point in time there was a bandstand and benches,” Griffith said.

There was plenty of legendary town gossip. Like how musician and future TV-star Lawrence Welk fell in love with a Meadow Grove girl, but she chose a farm boy instead.

There sure was a lot to be proud of over 130 years.
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“Well, you’re always welcome here and it’s a nice little town,” added Lewis-Nelson. “We’re proud of it.”

By News Partner News Channel Nebraska