Peru in Nemaha County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Peru State College

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2021

1. Peru State College Marker

Inscription.
On June 20, 1867, at the urging of Civil War veteran and legislator Col. Thomas J. Majors, the state legislature established a teacher training school at Peru on the site of the former Mount Vernon Seminary. Called the Nebraska State Normal School, it was one of the first of its kind west of the Missouri River. The school’s purpose was to train young men and women “in the arts of teaching, and in all the various branches that pertain to a good common school education.” The curriculum would include instruction in the trades, agriculture, the law, and the rights and duties of citizenship.

On October 24, 1867, when the first classes convened with thirty-two students, the campus consisted of sixty acres and a single building. During the next thirty-eight years, the school was the only teacher education institution in the state. As Nebraska’s population increased and additional state normal schools were established, the legislature expanded normal education from two to four years. In 1949 the school’s name was changed to Peru State Teachers College. It was renamed Peru State College in 1963.

Erected 2015 by Nebraska State

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Historical Society; Peru State College; and Peru State College Phi Alpha Theta Honorary Society. (Marker Number 80.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 20, 1867.

Location. 40° 28.43′ N, 95° 44.034′ W. Marker is in Peru, Nebraska, in Nemaha County. It is at the intersection of Park Avenue and 5th Street, on the left when traveling north on Park Avenue. Marker is located on the Peru State College Campus, beside the sidewalk on the north side of the A.V. Larson Building. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Peru NE 68421, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

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

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2021

2. Peru State College Marker

(A. V. Larson Building on the left)

7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Little Red Schoolhouse (a few steps from this marker); Muir House (approx. 6.6 miles away); The Nebraska State Teachers' Association (approx. 6.6 miles away); 1854 Didier Log Cabin (approx. 6.7 miles away); Brownville (approx. 6.7 miles away); Brownville, Nebraska Historical Society Heritage Tree (approx. 6.7 miles away); Late 1800's Road Grader (approx. 6.7 miles away); Co. C. 1st Reg. of Nebraska (approx. 6.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Peru.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Peru State College (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Peru State College (Wikipedia). The Nebraska Territorial Legislature chartered the school on February 12, 1866, under the name Peru Seminary and College. The executive committee of the school deeded the grounds to the State of Nebraska in June 1867, making it the first state-supported college in Nebraska on June 20, 1867, with the first classes held on October 24, 1867. The name was also changed to Nebraska State Normal

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2021

3. Peru State College Marker

(”Little Red Schoolhouse” on the right)

School. (Submitted on July 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 592 times since then and 49 times this year. Last updated on May 14, 2023, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.