There is a lot of misunderstanding about what happens at Hummel Park. A lot of it comes from racism, a lot from ignorance, and the rest of it from active imaginations. Before we start examining the allegations about the park, let’s look at the actual, factual history of Hummel Park. The Real History of Hummel […]
Category Archives: culture
A History of the Colored Commercial Club in North Omaha
Omaha’s Colored Commercial Club was an business referral, employment agency, and community building org for almost a decade. This is it’s history…
A History of the A.J. Poppleton Mansion in North Omaha
This is the story of A. J. Poppleton’s North Omaha estate called Elizabeth Place.
A History of the J. J. Brown Mansion in North Omaha
The J. J. Brown Mansion belonged to one of Omaha’s early industrialists, and became one of Omaha’s first hospitals. Discover it’s story…
A History of North Omaha’s McCreary Mansion
In the 1870s, businessman John McCreary built a fine Italianate mansion in present-day North Omaha. Here’s a history.
A History of the Redick Mansion in North Omaha
The most famous mansion built in North Omaha is probably the Mayne Mansion, also known as the Redick Mansion. Clifton E. Mayne was a pioneer real estate investor and salesman in the city. In the 1870s, a farmer built a little house along Saunders Street leading north out of Omaha. He sold ten acres and his little farmhouse to Mayne in 1885.
A History of the Near North Side Neighborhood in North Omaha
As far as I’m concerned, the history of Omaha’s Near North Side neighborhood is the richest in all of Omaha. It has been home to working class families, poor people, and the wealthy; northern Europeans, African Americans, and eastern Europeans; Lutherans and Catholics, Jews and Black Muslims; slums, family homes, and mansions; looked like a pioneer town, had country gentleman farms, been a suburb, and had slums; professional offices, warehouses, manufacturing plants, local storefronts, printing presses, training centers, supermarkets and pop-up shops; giant churches and synagogues, and tiny storefront temples and more. So much has happened here, and clearly its story is still being written…
A History of North Omaha’s Jewish Community
The Jewish people in North Omaha were tied together with the establishment and growth of the community for a century…
A History of the 1899 Greater America Exposition in North Omaha
OMAHANS HAVE BEEN MISINFORMED! We like history. We want to be proud of the past. Sometimes, in order to be proud, we intentionally forget, ignore, or otherwise let go of the parts of the past that we’re not proud of. For years, the people of Omaha have been told that all of the buildings […]
A History of the River Drive in Omaha
An Art Deco tree taken from the 1919 report where the majority of this article was drawn from. Imagine a smooth, easy drive on a Saturday afternoon in the fall all of it weaving along nineteen miles of the city’s waterfront. There are long, calm curves and tall, stately oaks lining the boulevard, with walkers […]
A History of the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary in North Omaha
The Presbyterians were one of the congregations that grew along with Omaha. Arriving soon after the city’s founders, the first Presbyterian church in Omaha was opened in 1856. Over the next 25 years, more than 100 Presbyterian churches were founded in towns and cities across Nebraska. Their buildings became institutions for the faithful, for their communities and for the culture of the state. However, educating enough pastors to lead these flocks was becoming a challenge.
A History of the Viking Ship in North Omaha
Suburbs need social clubs, and social clubs need swingin’ good fun! North Omaha’s Viking Ship was that place for more than 50 years before turning into a quasi-community center. Here’s the history of the Viking Ship, aka Birchwood Club aka The Prettiest Mile Club. Introduction 2582 Redick Avenue through the years: 1916 […]
A History of North Omaha’s Adams Park
This is a history of Adams Park in North Omaha, Nebraska
A History of Theatres and Movie Theaters in North Omaha
While it has absolutely no active movie theaters today, the North Omaha community has been home to at least 20 (!) movie theaters over the last century. This is a short history of those theaters. Its really incomplete, as information has been hard for me to find.
A History of North Omaha’s Immanuel Hospital
Immanuel Hospital has been an institution in North Omaha for a long time. Originally located in the far northern part of the city of Omaha, it was intended to serve the burgeoning population in the section centered around N. 30th and Ames Avenue.
A History of Redlining in Omaha
The history of North Omaha includes redlining starting during the 1920s, and being made illegal in the 1960s. This article explores that history, including the context in which it happened and some of the outcomes.
A History of Mansions and Estates in North Omaha
Once upon a time, North Omaha was littered with large mansions and estates. This article summarizes some of them.
A History of African American Politics in North Omaha
This is a timeline of African American politics in North Omaha, Nebraska, including African American Nebraska State Legislators.
A History of Streetcars in North Omaha
When the Trans-Mississippi Exposition happened in North Omaha in 1898, the city wanted to make sure all visitors knew how easy it was to get to the site. Using some promotional materials from that time, I’ve written a history of streetcars in North Omaha in the 1890s.
A History of the Miller Park Neighborhood in North Omaha
The place where I grew up, Omaha’s Miller Park neighborhood, rushes through my imagination a lot. I want to see it acknowledged, appreciated and accentuated every day. This article is my acknowledgment of the past and contribution to the future.
A Time for Burning
One of the most powerful documentaries to ever be made in Omaha is called A Time For Burning. Nominated for an Academy Award for documentary filmmaking in 1966, the film highlights then-barber/future Nebraska legislator Ernie Chambers. A graduate of the Creighton University Law School, he was elected Senator to the Nebraska Legislature in 1970. By […]
A History of 24th Street in North Omaha
North 24th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska, used to be a regular street of dreams. Home to immigrants and entrepreneurs, it hosted generations of families that made it. Then in the 1960s, several riots struck at the heart of the community. It hasn’t recovered in the 50 years since.
A History of Fontenelle Park in North Omaha
A history of the Fontenelle Park in North Omaha, Nebraska by Adam Fletcher Sasse. Includes baseball, parks and recreation, fireworks and more!
A History of Carter Lake
Everything begins somewhere. For Omaha’s Carter Lake, it was as a fun-filled day in the water for all kinds of people. Following is the early history of the place. It includes a waterfront boardwalk, hotels, a resort, clubs and an amusement park.
A History of the Florence Boulevard in North Omaha
Florence Boulevard in North Omaha has a historic treasure trove packed with homes, businesses, churches and more.
A History of Kiddieland and the Pleasure Pier in East Omaha
In the 1950s and 60s, the Kiddieland and Pleasure Pier at Carter Lake Park in Omaha, Nebraska, were a veritable wonderful of fun and good times.
A Video History of the Dreamland Ballroom in North Omaha
Here is a video by Waymaker Media with a short history of the Dreamland Ballroom on North 24th Street in North Omaha. Make sure you like the video and leave comments on YouTube! You Might Also Like… A History of the 24th and Lake Historic District A History of the Carnation Ballroom in North Omaha […]
A History of Racism in Omaha
Omaha Public Schools are re-segregating today. Neighborhoods in Omaha are severely segregated. Throughout the city, black and brown people are routinely followed through stores, disproportionately pulled over by police and much, much more. Following, I detail research findings that show the areas of education, healthcare, economic development and policing demonstrate clear racial segregation throughout Omaha. Racism isn’t […]
A History of 16th Street in North Omaha
Long before becoming a decrepit pipeline for the neglect of old North Omaha, North 16th Street had a history almost as long as the city itself.
A History of North Omaha’s Fair Deal Cafe
Soul food was served in mighty heaps at Omaha’s old “Black City Hall.” Learn about the legacy of the original Fair Deal Cafe…
A History of the Omaha Driving Park in North Omaha
A century ago, there was a race track tucked away in Omaha’s memory. Starting as a rugged race track for fast horses and wagon races, it become a proper driving park, the county and state fairgrounds, and home to several events at the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Expo. Between 1860 and 1905, there was on 35 acres […]
A History of the Saratoga Neighborhood in North Omaha
Saratoga was originally a large township on the Missouri River. What happened to it?
The Lynching of George Smith
On October 18, 1891, not thirty years before the lynching of Will Brown, Omahans carried out an even more heinous breach of justice than the lynching of George Smith…
A History of the Jack Johnson Riot in Omaha
In July 1910 racial tension flared towards Omaha’s African-American community after a tremendous upset victory by boxer Jack Johnson versus James Jeffries in Reno, Nevada.
A History of Community Leaders in North Omaha
Today, leaders in North Omaha continue to grow the heart and soul of the community. This article explores what’s happened before…
A History of Fur Trading in North Omaha
North Omaha’s history began 50 years before the city was a city. North Omaha’s fur trading roots still affect the community today. Here’s the story…
