Biohazard and Pathogen Disinfection in Seneca, NE

Seneca is an unincorporated community in Thomas County in the Nebraska Sandhills — it was an incorporated village for more than a century but voted itself out of existence in 2014.

Seneca was established in January 1888 at the point where construction of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad along the Middle Loup River halted for the winter of 1887–88.

Seneca became a division point on the railroad, with a depot, rail yard, and roundhouse that employed more than 70 people.

For some years Seneca was the largest settlement in Thomas County, reaching a peak population of 476 in the 1920 census.

The Potash Highway from Grand Island to Alliance was built through the center of Seneca between 1918 and 1923, and in 1926 it became part of Nebraska Highway 2.

In the early 1940s a highway realignment moved Highway 2 south of Seneca, and the railroad pulled its operations out of town, draining away jobs, businesses, and population.

By the 2010 census Seneca had dwindled to 33 residents in 21 households, with a median age of 55.3 years.

A bitter dispute over a village ordinance prohibiting residents from keeping horses in town sparked a petition to disincorporate Seneca.

In May 2014 Seneca's residents voted 17–16 for disincorporation, and the village formally ceased to exist at the end of June 2014.

Seneca's story of a town voting itself out of existence drew national media attention, including coverage in the Omaha World-Herald and a Radiolab podcast segment.