Around World War II, Black people started traveling across the U.S. for recreation and business like never before. In Omaha, travelers had all kinds of “no-go” zones, with diners for whites only and hotels that barred Black guests at the door. In North Omaha, part of the solution to this racism was found in the hospitality of private residences. This is a history of the Ashby Tourist Home at 2228 Willis Avenue.

A Foundation of Resilience

The story of the home begins with the legacy of George H. Ashby (1866–1934) and his wife, Gertrude (1880-1964). Before his wife moved to North Omaha, George Ashby built his family into Omaha’s Black middle class. For decades, the couple resided at 2111 Poppleton Avenue, a stable neighborhood near Hanscom Park. George’s steady work and their homeownership in a predominantly white area during the early 1900s signaled a family of significant standing.

However, after George died in 1934, his wife built the family’s legacy in the Near North Side.

The Green Book and Becoming a Safe Harbor

When Gertrude Ashby moved into the house at 2228 Willis Avenue, she made it into a vital safe place in the community. Starting in the late 1930s and continuing through the mid-1960s, the Ashby Tourist Home was a mainstay in The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide that was a survival manual for Black travelers. During the years it was published, the Ashby house was one of only a few Omaha locations deemed welcoming.

The Ashby Tourist Home was a place where Black travelers could stay without the humiliation of being turned away from downtown hotels like the Fontenelle or the Paxton. It was a hub for jazz musicians playing the North 24th Street, businessmen on cross-country trips, and families moving north. Staying in separate rooms throughout the house, they would share meals and info to keep each other safe.

In this era, tourist homes like this were unregulated and not particularly legal. With white supremacy running rampant through Omaha, the Omaha Police Department was likely to descend on a house like this and accuse its owners of being “a house of ill repute.” Hidden today with the euphemism “racial scrutiny,” this was plain racist policing, which was very common in Omaha then.

Because of that, finding specific mentions of the Ashby Tourist Home by name in newspapers from the era is tricky because small, private tourist homes like Gertrude Ashby’s didn’t run big commercial ads. Instead, her business appeared in the “Personals” or “Social Notes” columns that listed out-of-town guests. This was a signal to readers that the home was a hotel that offered hospitality to strangers. The safest way to advertise was through word-of-mouth, in social columns, and in the discreet listings of the Green Book.

The Heart of North Omaha

Located in the heart of the Near North Side, 2228 Willis Avenue was in walking distance of 24th and Lake, the cultural and economic heart of Black Omaha. Guests could leave the Ashby home and easily find their way to the Dreamland Ballroom to hear Duke Ellington or the Carnation Ballroom to listen to young BB King. They could easily shop at the businesses near 24th and Lake, and on Sunday they might have walked down the block to St John’s AME or Zion Baptist Church and taken in a movie at the Ritz Theater or eaten at the local cafes.

Today

Today, the house at 2228 Willis Avenue is still the original building, though its appearance is different. Although it’s not included on the National Register of Historic Places, it still serves as a reminder of a time when Black tourists in Omaha had to have their own spaces because white Omaha denied their humanity.

Maybe in the future we’ll remember it the Ashby Tourist Home for what it was: A bookmark in Omaha Black history that represents the entrepreneurs who turned their private houses into public sanctuaries and ensured that the so-called open road was open to everyone.

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My Articles About Black Hotels in Omaha
Hotels: Calhoun Hotel | The Willis Hotel | Broadview Hotel | Warden Hotel | New Lamar Hotel
Homes: Ashby Tourist Home |

MY ARTICLES ABOUT BLACK HISTORY IN OMAHA
MAIN TOPICS: Black Heritage Sites | Black Churches | Black Hotels | Segregated Hospitals | Segregated Schools | Black Businesses | Black Politics | Black Newspapers | Black Firefighters | Black Policeman | Black Women | Black Legislators | Black Firsts | Social Clubs | Military Service Members | Sports
PIONEER BLACK OMAHA: Black People in Omaha Before 1850 | The First Black Neighborhood | Black Voting in Omaha Before 1870 | Racist Laws Before 1900 |
EVENTS: Stone Soul Picnic | Native Omahans Day | Congress of Black and White Americans | Harlem Renaissance in North Omaha
RELATED: Race and Racism | Civil Rights Movement | Police Brutality | Redlining
NEBRASKA BLACK HISTORY: Enslavement in Nebraska | Underground Railroad in Nebraska | Grand Island |
TIMELINES: Racism | Black Politics | Civil Rights | The Last 25 Years

RESOURCES: Book: #OmahaBlackHistory: African American People, Places and Events from the History of Omaha, Nebraska | Bibliography: Omaha Black History Bibliography | Video: “OmahaBlackHistory 1804 to 1930” | Podcast: “Celebrating Black History in Omaha”

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