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Nebraska County
Phelps County, Nebraska
Holdrege's Nebraska Prairie Museum and the Ogallala irrigation corridor - from the Nebraska Prairie Museum in Holdrege (one of Nebraska's finest small-city museums - the Prairie Museum's collection of pioneer artifacts, Native American materials, and natural history specimens documents the settlement and ecology of the south-central Nebraska plains) to Phelps County's significant Ogallala Aquifer irrigation agriculture (the center-pivot irrigation systems drawing from the Ogallala Aquifer beneath Phelps County produce corn, soybeans, and dry beans on a landscape transformed from dryland farming by underground water access).
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Sheriff: Phelps County Sheriff’s Office – 715 5th Ave, Ste 20, Holdrege, NE 68949 | (308) 995-5692; 6 officers, serves ~9,700 residents; specialized Search and Rescue and Tactical Operations/SWAT units.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-183 and NE-23 serve Holdrege, the county seat and largest city, south of the Platte River in south-central Nebraska.
Notes: Phelps County, formed 1873, is named for William Phelps (1808-1889), a steamboat captain and early settler. Roughly 8,970-8,990 residents across 540 square miles, part of the Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area’s development region. Holdrege was founded in 1883 when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was extended to that point, and settled primarily by Swedish immigrants; it was named for George Ward Holdrege, the railroad’s general manager, and became county seat in 1884 after a campaign to move it from Phelps Center.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Phelps County Courthouse – 5th Ave between East and West Avenues, Holdrege, NE 68949; built 1910-1911 in the Beaux Arts style by architect William F. Gernandt, NRHP-listed 1990.
Notes: Holdrege is genuinely home to the Nebraska Prairie Museum, featuring over 65,000 square feet of interior exhibits on prairie life, an extensive genealogical library, and outbuildings including a Lutheran church, one-room schoolhouse, and windmill. The museum houses a dedicated WWII Interpretive Center with a scale replica of the original WWII German POW Camp Atlanta, located near Holdrege – including artifacts donated by former guards, prisoners, and local families who employed POW labor during the war, plus a gallery of paintings by camp interpreter Thomas F. Naegele. The museum also serves as home to the National Sod House Society. The “Promise of the Prairie” statue by noted sculptor George Lundeen graces Holdrege’s North Park.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Phelps County Veterans Service – 715 5th Ave, Holdrege, NE 68949; confirm current phone via phelpscounty.ne.gov.
Federal: A VA Outpatient Clinic in Holdrege serves a broad region of Nebraska and Kansas.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Holdrege Area Public Library – considered one of the best rural libraries in Nebraska; confirm current address/phone via cityofholdrege.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Nebraska Prairie Museum, North Park (with its lake, arboretum, and “Promise of the Prairie” statue), the Sandy Channels State Recreation Area, and Lake Seldom (a notable birdwatching site) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine WWII German POW Camp history and National Sod House Society connection are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Phelps County Assessor – confirm current contact via phelpscounty.ne.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Phelps County Animal Rescue – an all-volunteer, no-kill shelter serving the county; Email: [email protected]; confirm current phone via phelpscountyanimalrescue.net.
Holdrege Animal Rescue/Shelter – volunteer-run, works with local veterinary clinics and fosters; confirm current contact via local listings.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Phelps County – confirm current contact via phelpscounty.ne.gov.
NOTES: Phelps County is the sixth county in the tenth batch of the Nebraska v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine WWII German POW Camp history at the Nebraska Prairie Museum is a distinctive local fact. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Phelps County
Phelps County is south-central Nebraska’s Prairie Museum and Ogallala irrigation county – the museum celebrating pioneer heritage and the center-pivot irrigation systems drawing from the ancient aquifer beneath define a south-central Nebraska agricultural community.
Holdrege (the county seat, population ~5,500) is the hub for Phelps County’s agricultural communities – the Prairie Museum, regional hospital, and agricultural services anchor the community.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Phelps County Assessor at 715 5th Avenue, Suite 3, Holdrege, NE 68949, phone 308-995-4481. NE property assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Phelps County District Court at 715 5th Avenue, Holdrege, NE 68949, phone 308-995-6161, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
715 5th Ave., Holdrege, NE 68949
(308) 995-4469
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Phelps County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Phelps County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Phelps County Court, Probate Division 715 5th Avenue (mail: P.O. Box 255), Holdrege, NE 68949 (308) 995-6561 Phelps County is in south-central Nebraska, seated in Holdrege.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Nebraska adopted the Uniform Probate Code, codified as the Nebraska Probate Code (Neb. Rev. Stat. Chapter 30). In Nebraska, the COUNTY COURT has exclusive original jurisdiction over probate matters.
Small Estate Affidavit (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-24,125 for personal property; § 30-24,129 for real property) – as of a July 2024 statutory amendment, available when personal property does not exceed $100,000 and real property does not exceed $100,000 (both thresholds raised from $50,000). At least 30 days must have passed since death, and no application or petition for a personal representative may be pending. For personal property, the affiant presents a notarized affidavit directly to the institution holding the property along with a certified death certificate. For real property, the affidavit is filed with the register of deeds in the county where the property is located.
Informal Probate – the most common path for uncontested estates, handled by the county court registrar with minimal judicial involvement.
Formal Probate – required when there’s no will, when a will’s validity is contested, or when there’s disagreement over the personal representative or how assets should be distributed. Handled by a county judge.
Step 2: filing for formal or informal probate
File an application (informal) or petition (formal) with the County Court in the county where the decedent resided.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gives direct notice to known creditors, who have a limited window from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories the estate’s assets and completes the required Probate Inventory Worksheet.
The personal representative completes and files any required Nebraska inheritance tax paperwork before the estate can be closed.
After debts, taxes, and expenses are paid, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and closes the estate.
What it costs
Nebraska does not set statutory percentage-based fees; personal representative and attorney fees are generally based on reasonable compensation for time and services.
UNIQUE TO NEBRASKA: Nebraska is one of only six states with an inheritance tax, collected at the COUNTY level. Transfers to a surviving spouse are exempt; close relatives get reduced rates; more distant relatives and unrelated beneficiaries are taxed at higher rates.
No separate state estate tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
715 5th Ave., Holdrege, NE 68949
(308) 995-4778
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
715 5th Ave., Holdrege, NE 68949
(308) 995-4469
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NE DHHS — Phelps
(308) 995-4454
Phelps Memorial Health Center
phelpsmemorial.com (Holdrege — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Phelps County Health and Human Services – confirm current phone via phelpscounty.ne.gov. Phelps Memorial Health Center, a 25-bed community-owned hospital, serves the county.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Holdrege
Population: 9,100
Area: 540 sq mi
Established: 1873
Tier: 3
Public Records
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