The Boyd House, first frame house in Buffalo County, was built just west of present-day Gibbon in 1864 by brothers James E. and Joseph Boyd. It was the family home of James and Ann Boyd and their children. The two brothers came to the area in the early 1850s and built a stopping place for overland travelers heading westward. These stopping places were called road ranches and provided travelers with needed goods and services. The Boyd Ranche consisted of several buildings, including a barn, blacksmith shop, and post office. By 1854 it was known as Nebraska Centre. It was considered by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature to be the county seat, although most business was transacted in Hall County. James Boyd was a member of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature in 1866 representing the joint district of Platte, Merrick, Hall, and Buffalo counties. Mr. Boyd engaged in overland freighting during the 1860s and also had a contract with the Union Pacific to grade the land used for the tracks. He became wealthy because of this contract and moved his family to Omaha in 1868. He remained active in business and politics. James E. Boyd was the seventh governor of Nebraska from 1891 until 1893. The Boyd House was moved to the grounds of the Trails and Rails Museum of the Buffalo County Historical Society in 1993.
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