Hastings, Nebraska

Located in south central Nebraska, the city of Hastings serves as county seat of Adams County with a population of approximately 25,000 residents. Hastings was founded in 1872 at the intersection of two major railroads, and the city was named for Colonel D.T. Hastings of the St. Joseph and Grand Island Railroad. Hastings is best known as the town where Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in1927, continuing to celebrate the event the second weekend of every August.

By 1880, Hastings had become a boomtown and was home to over 2,800 residents. In April of 1874 the community was officially incorporated as a city of Nebraska and thrived through the turn of the century. Brickyards and cigar factories dominated early industry. The coming of World War II initiated the construction of United States Naval Ammunition Depot, a munitions plant located on 49,000 acres of Hastings land. The facility housed 2,200 structures, 6,692 civilians, 125 officers, and 1,800 enlistees and developed into the largest United States World War II naval munitions plant. The Naval Ammunition Depot was active up until 1946, decommissioned, and then later reactivated for the Korean War. The site now houses a U.S. Department of Agriculture research station, training facilities for the National Guard, and industrial park, a community college, and a golf course. Hastings has preserved many of its original buildings, which are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Chautauqua Pavilion and the Clarke Hotel.

Hastings’ longstanding manufacturing and military history places the city in a high risk category for asbestos exposure. If you were exposed to asbestos in Hastings, you may benefit be seeking counsel from an asbestos lawyer.

Jobsites in Hastings where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

A number of jobsites in Hastings, NE have been identified as harboring asbestos containing materials. These sites, at one point in their history, were known to have exposed a variety of tradesmen to asbestos. We will be documenting in more detail how asbestos exposure occurred at these sites in the future on this web site.