There’s too much history in Florence to pack into one article about it. Here’s a summary.

The history of Florence begins with the tangled clopping of horse hooves and rattling of the sideboards on beat up wagons. The story of the town begins with people leaving, people coming back, a town booming, a town shrinking, and then getting annexed into Omaha and calming down. It’s a story that’s still being written every day, and lately things are on the up and up!

A Rough Start

Built on the Missouri River, the story of Florence began with a mistake by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After having their leader killed in Illinois, their leader had a vision for them to move westward into New Spain. Approximately 2,500 of these travelers reached the banks of the Missouri River in fall of 1846. Traveling a few miles west into a sedate valley filled with prairie grass and surrounded by lush forests, the group decided that was a great place to settle. After receiving permission from the nearby Indian agent for the federal government, they built a town so they could survive the winter.

That town was Cutler’s Park, and it was located near the present-day intersection of Young Street and Mormon Bridge Road.

Cabins and sod houses built in rows formed the streets, and a town square and a schoolhouse made Cutler’s Park complete. Storing their equipment and livestock, the settlers thought they were prepared for the winter when they found out a disagreement between the local Omaha and Otoe tribes put their new town in the wrong place. Their mistake cost them weeks of preparation, because soon they moved three miles eastward back to the banks of the Missouri River. Cutler’s Park was located at the present-day intersection of Mormon Road and Young Street.

Winter Quarters had a mayor and city council, 24 policemen and fireguards, various administrative committees, and a town square for public meetings.

When they got to the river, church members quickly built up Winter Quarters. Unfortunately, many of them weren’t ready for a cold, harsh winter on the banks of the river. Between disease, starvation and scurvy, hundreds of people died. A total of 359 of them are buried in present-day Florence’s Mormon Pioneer Cemetery.

When spring broke open, almost all of the Mormons packed up and left town. A few were left though, and they left their buildings behind. Houses, stores, grain storage, and a few other buildings stood there for years, some in use, many vacant. The last remnant standing today is the Florence Mill, located where Mill Creek once flowed freely to the Missouri River. For reference, the mill was located on the west side of Winter Quarters.

Founding Florence

James Comly Mitchell was an adventurer. After an early life as a traveler, Mitchell brought his English bride to Iowa, but didn’t settle down well. Looking for a chance to make some money, In 1850 his fellow adventurer Peter Sarpy told him about the deserted Winter Quarters across the river from Kanesville, Iowa.

Immediately after the Nebraska Territory was established in 1854, Mitchell platted the village of Florence. He laid it out on the old map of Winter Quarters, and included its old buildings and improvements. As the first city in the Nebraska Territory. Despite lasting only two years, Winter Quarters had many accoutrements of a well-established place, and Mitchell knew it.

He snatched it up quick, started lobbying hard to make Florence the capital of the Nebraska Territory, and dreamed of the railroad building a major bridge across the Missouri River at his town.

It was a few years before a lot of people moved into Florence. Mitchell kept pushing for his town through the years, serving as a Nebraska Territorial Legislator, and working as a saloon owner, ferry owner, and editor of the town newspaper.

Becoming a Municipality

From 1855 to 1917, Florence was an independent municipality with its own government, its own taxation, and its own laws, rules and regulations governing it. Along with an elected mayor, Florence had a town council and city council, an elected school board, and city government staff. Some of the positions in the city government included the city clerk, city treasurer, city attorney, city engineer, and city marshall. There were also two police judges.

Some of the early mayors of Florence included James Demond in 1856, Levi Harsh in 1857, Henry Hall in the late 1880s, C. Christian in 1888, Charles V. Fouke (1865-1904) in 1889, Frank M. King (1842-1925) in the early 1890s, Henry Hall again in the mid-1890s, F.S. Tucker in the late 1890s, John S. Paul in 1903, L.F. Imm in 1904, Jacob Weber, Sr. (1833-1923), William E. Rogers in 1909, Levi Harsh again in 1909, John C. Paul in 1911, George Sorenson in 1913, and F.S. Tucker again in 1916. Edwin H. Walker (1846-1923) was also an early mayor of Florence.

F.S. Tucker served ten terms as the mayor, and was the last mayor of Florence in 1917 when it was annexed by Omaha. In honor of his service the city renamed Jefferson Street for him. The Omaha Daily Bee wrote, “In the town hall of Florence Mayor F.S. Tucker and his official family met the visiting party and surrendered records and the official seal.”

Stealing the Legislature

In 1858, a group of legislators illegally tried to hold legislative proceedings in Florence in a tiff over the location of the future state capitol. They lost their hold on power for the day, and everything moved back to Omaha the next day. In 1867, the Omaha resistors in the Legislature finally got their wishes when the brand new Nebraska State Capitol was assigned to be in Lincoln. Its stayed there ever since.

Businesses of Florence

Starting in 1856, the businesses of Florence helped define the community through thick and thin. Originally serving travelers on the Great Platte River Road, the California Trail and otherwise, the businesses specialized in goods and services for pioneers. When the streetcar reached Florence from Omaha for the first time in 1903, it stopped at Forest Lawn Drive. However, soon it was extended to Filmore Street and kept running there for decades.

The first hotels in Florence were the Willet House, the Arcade Hotel and the Veirs’ House Hotel.

Throughout its history there were a lot of different Florence businesses; for instance, in 1909 the Florence Times newspaper accounted for the main street saying there were,

Two general stores, two cigar stores, one dry goods and notion store, one racket store, one cigar manufacturing house, two restaurants, two hotels, one branch coffee and tea house, one livery and feed stable, one real estate office, one newspaper office, two barber shops, four saloons, one dentist, three doctors, one lawyer’s office, two meat shops, on lumber and coal yard, one exclusive coal yard, one pool hall, one bakery, two shoe shops, one gunsmith and lock shop, one drug store, one blacksmith shop, one bank, one flour mill.

— “A Review of What Florence Has Done During 1906,” Florence Times (January 11, 1907)

Of course, businesses came and went throughout the years, but the entire time two things have stayed true: one is that North 30th Street has stayed the Florence Main Street, home to most of the enterprises throughout history; two is that Florence residents love shopping in their neighborhood, both for convenience and loyalty.

The streetcar stopped running in Florence in 1941, severely damaging residents’ access to Omaha, but also harming the integrity of the Florence Main Street. Today there are still many businesses along North 30th, but not with the same veracity or sustainability they had for those nearly 40 years of streetcar service.

Banks in Florence

Over the decades four different banks opened and operated in Florence—although they were all connected in one way or another. Operated by a Davenport, Iowa, firm called Cook, Sargent and Parker, the Bank of Florence was established in 1854 in a new building that stands today at 8502 North 30th Street. Even though the bank funded a lot of people and businesses in those early years, it went broke because of a national financial panic that caused a run in 1857. The building was operated as the Bank of Florence afterward by James M. Parker, one of the original partners, and the original company retained its ownership until around 1868. The building stayed open for a long time and had different jobs, but was also left to rot for more than a decade at the end of the century. The State Bank of Florence opened up next in the old Florence Bank building in 1904. Quickly reinstated as an important community institution, in 1909 the bank was sold but renamed the State Bank of Florence.

In 1909, a new institution called the Farmers State Bank of Florence opened at 8613 North 30th Street on the corner of 30th and Clay. Frank T. Parker, grandson of James M. Parker, was invested in the bank. An Omaha World-Herald newspaper report from 1910 said that the two banks in Florence “had $116,287.17 in deposits and $166,582.11 in loans and discounts at the close of business November 10.” The very first daylight bank robbery in Nebraska reportedly happened at the Bank of Florence in 1916, and in 1918, the Farmers State Bank changed its name to the Commercial State Bank of Florence. It failed in 1926 and was taken over by the State Bank of Florence.  In 1939, the Bank of Florence changed its name to the North Side Bank, and in 1941 they moved out of Florence.

The Bank of Florence, the State Bank of Florence, the Farmers State Bank of Florence and the Commercial State Bank of Omaha… And since 1941, there has not been a Florence-neighborhood based bank in Florence since.

Newspapers in Florence

Throughout the years, there were a number of newspapers published in Florence. As the main form of media, these were very important for keeping the public educated and informed about current events happening locally and beyond. Some of these newspapers ran without any competition while others were established specifically to compete with another newspaper. They included the Florence Courier (1856-1857); Florence Daily Courier; Florence Items (1903-1908); Florence Gazette (1903-1908); Florence Tribune (1909-1916); The Tattler (1915-1915); and the Florence Fontenelle / Minne Lusa Review (1919—1933). I haven’t found any evidence of other newspapers being published in Florence for Florence since the 1930s.

Consolidation with Omaha

For more than 60 years, Florence struggled to grow beyond being a small city. Nearby small towns like Saratoga, Fort Calhoun, and Elk City struggled too. For more than two decades, there was talk of consolidating Florence with Omaha, but it was always contentious. For instance, in a 1909 newspaper feature about the proposed consolidation, Mayor F.S. Tucker of Florence said “Florence would oppose consolidation unless it was proposed to name the consolidated municipality Florence.” Later that year the newspaper announced he became pro-consolidation, and printed a statement from him:

“I am heartily in favor of consolidating the cities of Florence and Omaha under the one name of Omaha—”Greater Omaha”—and hope the people in our little city to the north will vote this fall to come into the municipality of the larger city.”

—Mayor F.S. Tucker as quoted by the Omaha Bee, September 16, 1909.

In early 1917, Omaha came gunning. Early in the year, the City of Florence reported to the Nebraska State Legislature that couldn’t pay its bonds because the privately owned American Water Works closed. Effectively bankrupting the town, Florence was annexed by the City of Omaha later that year.

That same year, in 1917, the Fort Omaha Balloon School was established as the first such military school in America. Its base of operations was called Florence Field and consisted of 119 acres.

In one fell swoop, the City of Florence had ceased to exist, the City of Omaha grew and the neighborhood of Florence was established. It continues on today.

Historical Sites

The newest feature in Florence was built in 2001, and is called the Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple. Since 1952, the Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge has carried Interstate 680 over the Missouri River. Opened as a single span, there was just a single lane going east and a single lane going west. The State of Nebraska and the State of Iowa agreed to build the bridge with a toll to cover the costs of construction. When they were paid, the Mormon Bridge Tollhouse was removed – although it’s still standing today. Moved to 3010 Willit Street, today the building is home to a hairstylist.

The Bank of Florence was built in 1856 at 8502 North 30th Street. Designated as an Omaha landmark on October 14, 1980, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1960. The Florence Boulevard was designed in 1892 and built from Burt Street north to J.J. Pershing Drive just outside Florence. Part of a massive citywide boulevard system, the section near Florence was once called the “Prettiest Mile.”

Built in 1887, the Florence Depot was moved to 9000 North 30th Street in the 1960s. The Florence Firehouse, built in 1888, is next to the Florence City Hall and Jail, all at 8415 North 29th Street. Florence Park, located at 3105 State Street, was part of the original Winter Quarters plat map from 1846. It is Nebraska’s oldest park and town square.

One of the most distinct landmarks in Florence today is the Florence Mill. Originally built by Brigham Young in 1846, it sits at 9102 North 30th Street along the former Mill Creek. Listed on the NRHP in 1998, it is also known as the Weber Mill, Mormon Mill, Grist Mill, and Old Pink Mill.

The site of the Florence School has moved several times. In the 1860s it was located down in town, reportedly in an old wood shed. From 1890 through 1964, it was located at North 31st and Tucker Streets. That year, it opened in a new building at 7902 North 36th Street where its located today. For more than three decades this was also the location of the Florence High School.

The Keirle House was built for a local ice company manager in 1905 at 3017 Mormon Street. After housing a youth-focused nonprofit for a number of years, it was sold to a private individual in the 2000s. It was declared an Omaha Landmark in 1997. The Mitchell House was built in 1854 at 8315 North 31st Street by James C. Mitchell himself, and was demolished in the 1970s. Some people think that Brigham Young lived in there for a short period.

Other historical homes are scattered throughout Florence. The Wright House at 7623 North 31st Street is one example. Despite being largely covered today with Mid-century vinyl siding and aluminum storm windows, its Victorian-era opulence plainly obvious in the details still abounding the home.

The Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, home to the hundreds of people who died in the winter of 1846, is located today at 3301 State Street.  Used until 1848, LDS Church records indicate 359 pioneers are buried there. In a different location, Omaha’s Potter’s Field Cemetery was started in at least the 1870s, although there’s speculation that the first burials there happened when it was next to Cutler’s Park. Today, its located at 7909 Mormon Bridge Road next to the Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

The earliest businesses in Nebraska happened in the Florence area. Starting in 1805, a fur trader named Manuel Lisa kept a fort north of present-day Florence, and enjoyed exclusive and successful relationships with many area tribes. He died in 1820 and Fort Lisa was closed. In the late 1810s, a Frenchman named John Pierre Cabànne opened a trading post at the confluence of the Ponca Creek and Missouri River, operating it through the 1820s. He hosted a German prince during his years there. Today, there are markers celebrating these mens’ contributions near the intersection of Ponca Road and J. J. Pershing Drive.

Located north of Florence near the intersection of Oakridge Drive and J. J. Pershing Drive, the site of Pries Lake once hosted a saloon, a seven-story house and picnic facilities for families and others to enjoy. It was open from around 1890 through 1915.

The Notre Dame Academy and Convent was built in 1924 to house nuns that came to serve Omaha’s Czech community. The building, located at 3501 State Street, was added to the NRHP in 1998. The Convent was closed in the 1990s, and continues to be operated by the Sisters today as a retirement center. The Florence Home for the Aged, originally called the House of Hope, was built in 1917 at 7915 North 30th Street. That facility expanded, changed and today is still operating at the same location.

Florence Horse Thieves Murdered By a Florence Mob

Another site associated with Florence is the site of a terroristic mob murder. In 1858, a farmer in Florence said he kept having horses stolen. Catching the thieves in the act, he called together a group of neighbors and chased them down just north of Florence. The two, named Harvey Braden and James Daley, were dragged by the men to Omaha and presented them to the judge there, who immediately threw them in jail to wait for a trial.

That evening, a group of dozens showed up at the jail with ropes. Pushing past the sheriff, they opened the jail with his keys and tied the ropes around the mens’ necks. Thrown into the back of a wagon, they were led to the spot two miles north of Florence where the farmer took them hostage earlier that day. Using the wagon they were brought on, the men were strung up and hung.

The sheriff rode up to Florence and got the bodies the next day. When the judge called the men of Omaha to the courthouse that day, he asked them who did it. Nobody admitted any fault, and nobody would say who else was involved. Nobody was ever accused, tried, or convicted for murdering the two men. Later, the truth came out that many of Omaha’s leading men from its pioneer days were involved in the lynching.

River Road

In the early 1890s, the City of Omaha hired a nationally renowned landscape architect named H. W. S. Cleveland to design a system of parks and boulevards throughout the city. They wanted to raise the image of the city as being pro-outdoors while providing simple, straight-forward recreation that would appeal to all citizens. Cleveland’s plans were responsible for the construction of Miller, Fontenelle and Hanscom Parks almost immediately, along with several smaller parks and all of the city’s elaborate boulevard system.

In the late 1910s, private car ownership appeared inevitable for all families in Omaha. In order to accommodate these drivers auto-ing throughout town, the City wanted to expand the boulevard system. They developed a plan for a grand 19-mile-long boulevard that would stretch and wind from South Omaha through downtown across North Omaha to the Ponca Hills. Called River Drive, it would serve as a memorial to the city’s fallen from World War I, and promote a shared sense of ownership for the natural beauty of the Missouri River.

Alas, the plans never came to fruition. However, in Florence a large section of the road was constructed. Beginning at the end of Florence Boulevard and Reed Street, the River Drive was graded and paved all the way to Ponca Road. In the 1920s, this section was renamed John J. Pershing Drive, and its usage continues today.

Florence Historical Tour

These are places I think are interesting in Florence. Don’t try to follow them in order – they’re numbered here for easy reference, and that’s it. Let me know if there’s more I should check out!

1. Florence Mill, 9102 North 30th Street
2. Florence Depot, 9000 North 30th Street
3. Zesto’s, 8608 North 30th Street
4. Bank of Florence, 8502 North 30th Street
5. Mormon Bridge, crossing the Missouri River on I-680
6. Mormon Bridge Tollhouse, 3010 Willit Street
7. Florence Masonic Temple, 8223 North 30th Street
8. Florence Building, 8702 North 30th Street
9. Price Building, 8607 North 30th Street
10. St. Philip Neri Church, 8200 North 30th Street
11. St. Philip Neri School, (original site) 8206 North 31st Street
12. Florence Home, 7915 North 30th Street
13. Florence School, 7902 North 36th Street
14. Florence Firehouse, 8415 North 29th Street
15. Keirle House, 3017 Mormon Street
16. Mormon Trail / Winter Quarters Visitors Center, 8283 North 34th Street
17. Notre Dame Academy and Convent, 3501 State Street
18. Potter’s Field, 5000 Young Street
19. Forest Lawn Cemetery, 7909 Mormon Bridge Road
20. Florence Water Works, John J. Pershing Drive
21. Florence Home for the Elderly, 7915 North 30 Street
22. J. S. Paul Building, 8601 North 30 Street
23. Mormon Pioneer Cemetery and Statue, 3301 State Street
24. Price Building, 8607 1/2 North 30 Street
25. Price House, 3119 Clay Street
26. Florence Town Square, aka Florence Park, 3105 State Street
27. River Drive, from Florence Boulevard to Ponca Road
28. Wright House, 7623 North 31st Street
29. North Market Square, aka Filmore Park, North 29th and Bondesson Streets
30. South Market Square, aka houses, North 29th and King Streets
31. Mormon Reserve, underneath the Mormon Bridge between J.J. Pershing Dr. and the river
32. Ferry Reserve, north of Mormon Bridge between J.J. Pershing Dr. and the river
33. J. J. Pershing Memorial Monument, near 8200 J.J. Pershing Drive
34. Pries Lake, near Oak Ridge Drive and J.J. Pershing Drive.
35. Joyo Theatre, N. 30th and Tucker Streets

Historic Streets

The streets of Florence marked the city limits throughout the years, and the boundaries of of the city were mostly steady throughout the years. When it was annexed in 1917, the boundaries were Weber Street on the south and Sargent Street to the north; Missouri River on the east and North 60th Street on the west.

Florence is old, and because of that it had streets that aren’t around anymore, or that have been renamed.

For instance, streets running east-west in the historic city of Florence that were north of Mill Creek included Parker, Downey, Sargent, Cook, Ferry, Davenport and Bridge. South of the creek, east-west streets included Pacific, Jackson, Fillmore, Calhoun, Clay, Jefferson, Wilit, State, Madison, Harrison, Monroe, Adams, Farnum, Washington and Briggs. Spring Creek bisected the town on the south end, and Hanover, Taylor, Scott, and Spring Street ran east-west there.

Running north-south, the streets in old Florence were named and numbered, but with different numbers than today. Starting at the Missouri River and going west, the streets were Mill, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, then Main, Bluff, Prospect, Buffalo, and Elk.

Florence History Timeline

• October 3, 1854: James C. Mitchell founded the town of Florence
• March 10, 1855: Nebraska Territory Legislature incorporated the Town of Florence
• March 10, 1857: Nebraska Territory Legislature incorporated the City of Florence
• June 1, 1917: The City of Florence consolidated with the City of Omaha

Thanks to all the people who contributed to this article’s development, including Ryan Roenfeld, Roger Brandt, Michaela Armetta, Michele Wyman, Jody Lovallo and John Lemen for their contributions to this article. Also, special thanks to the Durham Museum for making so many pics available, and to the Florence Futures Foundation for their fantastic website and work to preserve Florence history!

You Might Like…

• Historic Neighborhoods in North Omaha
• A History of North Omaha, Part 1

MY ARTICLES ABOUT THE HISTORY OF FLORENCE
Basics: History | Banks | Newspapers | Churches | Mayors
Public Places: Florence Main Street | Florence High School | The Mormon Tree | Mormon Bridge | Florence Boulevard | River Drive | J.J. Pershing Drive and Monument | Potter’s Field
Businesses: Florence Mill | Zestos | Florence Home | Florence Bank | Florence Mill | Florence Ferry | Florence Water Works | Florence Depot
Houses: Parker Mansion | Brandeis Country Home | Lantry-Thompson Mansion | Mitchell House | Hunt Mansion
Other Historic Places: Cutler’s Park | Winter Quarters | Vennelyst Park | Florence Building
People: James M. Parker | James Comey Mitchell | Florence Kilborn | Jacob Weber Sr.
Neighborhoods: Winter Quarters | Florence Field | Wyman Heights | High Point
Mormon History Locations: Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge | Site of the Mormon Tree | Cutler’s Park | Brigham Young House | Mormon Mill
Other: Directory of Florence Historic Places

MY ARTICLES ABOUT HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS IN NORTH OMAHA
National Register of Historic Places Historic Districts in North Omaha: 24th and Lake Historic District | Benson Downtown Historic District | Country Club Historic District | Dundee/Happy Hollow Historic District | Fairacres Historic District | Fort Omaha Historic District | Minne Lusa Historic District | Nicholas Street Historic District
Historic Neighborhoods in North Omaha: Bedford Place | Belvedere Point | Bemis Park | Benson | Briggs | Bungalow City | Carter Lake, Iowa | Central Park | Clifton Hill | Collier Place | Creighton University | Crown Point | DeBolt | Druid Hill | East Omaha | Fairfax | Florence | Florence Field | Fort Omaha | Fontenelle View | Gifford Park | Gold Coast (Cathedral) | High Point | Jefferson Square | Kellom Heights | Kountze Place | Lakewood Gardens | Little Russia | Long School | Malcolm X Memorial | Miller Park | Miller Park Duplex Historic District | Monmouth Park | Montclair | Near North Side | North Downtown Omaha | Omaha View | Orchard Hill | Plum Nelly | Prairie Park | Prettiest Mile in Omaha | Prospect Place | Raven Oaks | Redman | Saratoga | Sherman | Squatter’s Row | Sulphur Springs | Ponca Hills | Wakonda | Walnut Hill | Winspear Triangle | Wyman Heights
Lost Towns in North Omaha: Benson | Briggs | Cutler’s Park | DeBolt | East Omaha | Florence | Saratoga | Sulphur Springs | Winter Quarters

Elsewhere Online

• HistoricFlorence.org official website
• “Omaha’s Historic Streetcar System: An intensive level survey of preservation resources” for Nebraska State Historical Society and the City of Omaha by Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture and Restoration Exchange Omaha in 2017.
• The Florence Mill official website
• Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters official website
• Florence Commercial Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. (2022) Jill Dolberg, Nebraska State Historical Society.

Bonus Pics

https://www.slideshare.net/bicyclingfish/a-history-of-florence-in-north-omaha-nebraska