Milligan in Fillmore County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Pioneer Chapel

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2022

1. Pioneer Chapel Marker

Inscription.
Many settlers in the area were Catholics of Czech and Irish descent. Services were held in homes before this small chapel was built on the farm of Joseph Kotas in 1874. It served as the first Catholic Church for pioneers in Fillmore and Saline Counties.

Priests traveled from one mission to another. Father Sulak, the first to visit, stayed 3 days. Pioneers led the congregation in praying the rosary, reading the epistle and gospel.

In 1890 the chapel was replaced by a new and larger church in Milligan. The chapel was moved to this Pioneer Cemetery, the Ceski Bratri (North) Cemetery, in October 1901 to be used for funerals in inclement weather. It now stands as a memorial to the pioneers who endured the hardships of making a life for themselves and for people today and tomorrow in Nebraska.

Memorial donated by Trump Memorials & Moon and Sun monuments.

Erected 1995.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Immigration • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1874.

Location. 40° 30.582′ N, 97° 24.352′ W.

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Marker is in Milligan, Nebraska, in Fillmore County. It can be reached from State Highway 41 one mile west of N Street (Road 24), on the left when traveling west. The Pioneer Chapel is located within the Czech Brethren Cemetery grounds. The marker is located beside the northeast corner of the chapel. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milligan NE 68406, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and on the prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Pioneer Chapel and Cesky Bratri Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); American Legion Post No. 240 War Memorials (approx. one mile away); The Blizzard of 1888 (approx. 1.1 miles away); Two B-24 "Liberators" Crash Near Milligan, 1943 (approx. 1.1 miles away); BT-13B "Valiant" and P-47D "Thunderbolt" Crash, 1944

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2022

2. Pioneer Chapel Marker

(marker is located at the northeast corner of the chapel, beneath the renovation scaffolding)

(approx. 1.1 miles away); B-17G "Flying Fortress" and P-47D "Thunderbolt" Crash, 1944 (approx. 1.1 miles away); Milligan Auditorium (approx. 1.1 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milligan.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Pioneer Chapel (<i>northeast elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2022

3. Pioneer Chapel (northeast elevation)

Pioneer Chapel (<i>southwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2022

4. Pioneer Chapel (southwest elevation)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 332 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 11, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.