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                                                                   Exhibit 10

                            HICKORY TECH CORPORATION
                          DIRECTORS' STOCK OPTION PLAN

     AMENDED AND RESTATED FEBRUARY 10, 1999

     1.  PURPOSE OF THE PLAN.  The purpose of this Hickory Tech Corporation 
Directors' Stock Option Plan is to attract and retain the best available 
individuals for service as Directors of the Company and to provide additional 
incentive to the Outside Directors of the Company to serve as Directors.

     2.  DEFINITIONS.

         (a)  "BOARD" shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

         (b)  "COMMON STOCK" shall mean the Common Stock of the Company.

         (c)  "COMPANY" shall mean Hickory Tech Corporation, a Minnesota 
corporation.

         (d)  "DIRECTOR" shall mean a member of the Board.

         (e)  "EMPLOYEE" shall mean any person, including officers and 
Directors, employed by the Company or any parent or subsidiary of the Company.

         (f)  "FAIR MARKET VALUE" shall have the meaning set forth in 
Section 7.

         (g)  "GAAP" shall mean generally accepting accounting principles in 
the United States in effect from time to time.

         (h)  "OPTION" shall mean a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan.

         (i)  "OPTIONEE" shall mean an Outside Director who receives an 
Option.

         (j)  "OUTSIDE DIRECTOR" shall mean a Director who is not an Employee.

         (k)  "PERFORMANCE CRITERIA" shall mean, for a given fiscal year, 
consolidated return on equity of 15% based on beginning shareholders' equity. 
The Performance Criteria shall be determined in accordance with GAAP based 
solely on the audited financial statements of the Company for the relevant 
fiscal years.

         (l)  "PLAN" shall mean this Directors' Stock Option Plan.

         (m)  "SHARES" shall mean shares of the Common Stock.

     3.  SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN.  Subject to Section 10, the maximum 
aggregate number of Shares that may be optioned and sold under the Plan is 
300,000 shares of Common Stock.  If an Option should expire or become 
unexercisable for any reason without having been exercised in full, the 
unpurchased Shares that were subject thereto shall become available for 
future grant under the Plan.  

     4.  GRANTS OF OPTIONS UNDER THE PLAN.  On the date of the close of the 
audit following each of the

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fiscal years in which the Company satisfies the Performance Criteria, each 
Outside Director shall automatically receive an Option to purchase 3,000 
Shares at fair market value on the date of grant.  Each Option shall be for a 
term of ten years.

     5.  POWERS OF THE BOARD.  Subject to the provisions and restrictions of 
the Plan, the Board shall have the authority, in its discretion: (i) to 
determine the fair market value of the Common Stock; (ii) to interpret the 
Plan; (iii) to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company any 
instrument required to effectuate the grant of an Option granted hereunder; 
and (iv) to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for 
the administration of the Plan.  All decisions, determinations and 
interpretations of the Board shall be final and binding on all Optionees and 
any other holders of any Options granted under the Plan.

     6.  EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN.  The Plan shall become effective upon its 
approval by the shareholders of the Company as described in Section 15.

     7.  FAIR MARKET VALUE.  The fair market value of a Share shall be, in 
the event the Common Stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System or 
listed on a stock exchange, the average closing sale price on such system or 
exchange during the five trading days on which there was actual trading 
ending on the trading day on which there was actual trading immediately 
preceding the date of grant of the Option, as reported in THE WALL STREET 
JOURNAL.  In the event the Common Stock is not so traded or listed, the Board 
shall determine fair market value.

     8.  EXERCISE OF OPTION.

         (a)  PROCEDURE FOR EXERCISE; RIGHTS AS A SHAREHOLDER.  An Option 
shall be deemed to be exercised when written notice of such exercise has been 
given to the Company by the person entitled to exercise the Option and full 
payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised has been 
received by the Company.  Until the issuance of the stock certificate 
evidencing the Shares so purchased, the purchaser shall have no right to vote 
or receive dividends or any other rights as a shareholder.  A share 
certificate for the number of Shares purchased shall be issued to the 
Optionee as soon as practicable after exercise of the Option.  No adjustment 
will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior 
to the date the stock certificate is issued, except as provided in Section 10.

         (b)  DEATH OF OPTIONEE.  Notwithstanding Section 8(a) in the event 
of the death of an Optionee, the Option may be exercised at any time within 
six months following the date of death, by the Optionee's estate or by a 
person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or 
inheritance.

     9.  NON-TRANSFERABILITY OF OPTIONS.  The Option may not be sold, 
pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred or disposed of in any manner 
other than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be 
exercised, during the lifetime of the Optionee, only by the Optionee.

     10.  ADJUSTMENTS UPON CHANGES IN CAPITALIZATION, DISSOLUTION OR MERGER.  
In the event that the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock of the 
Company is changed by a stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, 
combination, reclassification or similar change in the capital structure of 
the Company without consideration, the number of Shares available under this 
Plan and the number of Shares subject to outstanding Options and the exercise 
price per share of such Options shall be proportionately adjusted.  Such 
adjustment shall be made by the Board, whose determination in that respect 
shall be conclusive.

     11.  AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN.

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          (a)  AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION.  The Board may at any time amend, 
alter, suspend or discontinue the Plan, but no amendment, alteration, 
suspension or discontinuance shall be made which would impair the rights of 
any Optionee under any grant theretofore made, without his or her consent. 

          (b)  EFFECT OF AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION.  Any such amendment or 
termination of the Plan shall not affect Options already granted and such 
Options shall remain in full force and effect as if this Plan had not been 
amended or terminated.

     12.  CONDITIONS UPON ISSUANCE OF SHARES.  As a condition to the exercise 
of an Option, the Company may require the person exercising such Option to 
represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the Shares are 
being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell 
or distribute such Shares, if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, 
such a representation is required by law.

     13.  RESERVATION OF SHARES.  The Company, during the term of this Plan, 
will at all times reserve and keep available such number of the Shares 
available for issuance pursuant to this Plan as shall be sufficient to 
satisfy the requirements of the Plan.

     14.  OPTION AGREEMENT.  Options may, but need not, be evidenced by 
written option agreements in such form as the Board shall approve.

     15.  SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL.  The Plan shall be subject to approval by the 
shareholders of the Company.