North Omaha History Podcast, Omaha History, South Omaha History
The North Omaha History Podcast with noted author and historian – Adam Fletcher Sasse. Each week, Adam takes you on a guided tour through Omaha’s dynamic past.
Episodes
July 10, 2022 • 25 min
Adam Fletcher Sasse gives us the rich history of North Omaha streets from before Omaha was founded, to the present day.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Jeff Rockwell
Gene E Pafford
Barb Naughtin
Lonnie (Hansen) Dunbier
Paul Feilmann
Tim Reeder
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh
Kristine Gerber
Jay Flaunts His Ignorance
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Bla...
Share
Mark as Played
June 17, 2022 • 8 min
KOWH was a soul music radio station in Omaha owned by African Americans including Bob Gibson and Gale Sayers. It was on-air from 1970 to 1979 and our producer Steve loved listening to it in the day. Listen in as Adam fills us in on everything KOWH-FM.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Jeff Rockwell
Gene E Pafford
Barb Naughtin
Lonnie (Hansen) Dunbier
Paul Feilmann
Tim Reeder
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
...
Share
Mark as Played
June 9, 2022 • 14 min
Adam has a great rundown of historic structures, parks, and streets in North Omaha. Listen in.
Our thanks to our patrons for helping meet expenses. You can help out this volunteer effort by becoming a patron for as little as a dollar a month. Go to Patreon.com/Omaha.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Jeff Rockwell
Gene E Pafford
Barb Naughtin
Lonnie (Hansen) Dunbier
Paul Feilmann
Tim Reeder
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Richard Gu...
Share
Mark as Played
March 26, 2022 • 23 min
Fast food, Italian food, soul food, diners and cafes, barbecues, ice cream stores, caterers, and many, many other types of food fill North Omaha history. These businesses have been run by African Americans, European and Asian immigrants, Hispanic and Latinx people, and white people who moved to the community from across the United States. They have also been run by generations of North Omahans who handed businesses down through gen...
Share
Mark as Played
January 29, 2022 • 18 min
This episode was recorded in front of a live audience. Our thanks to Lamb of God Lutheran Chruch in Papillion for letting us use their facility.
On Adam’s blog, North Omaha includes all the area in Douglas County, Nebraska, north of Dodge Street and east of North 72nd. In this history of North Omaha, there have been at least a dozen hospitals within these boundaries. They were religious and non-secular; charities and businesses; se...
Share
Mark as Played
December 14, 2021 • 28 min
I’m Steve Sleeper, the producer of the North Omaha History podcast. Adam and I have always wanted to record some episodes in front of a live audience and we got that chance on Dec 13, 2021 when we recorded three episodes. The one you’re about to hear is the history of Cuming Street in North Omaha. Our thanks to Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Papillion for letting us use their facility and also thanks to our patrons.
Now seen as th...
Share
Mark as Played
October 18, 2021 • 20 min
A church minister, newspaper editor, NAACP leader, community activist, and family man, the Rev. John Albert Williams (1866-1933) was a singular leader in a simpler time who faced complex problems and made North Omaha a better place. He was widely recognized in North Omaha, in the Episcopal Church and among his family; however, today his name is nearly lost to Omaha history. Adam is making sure his name is not lost.
Our thanks to ou...
Share
Mark as Played
September 27, 2021
Over more than a 50-year period, one lawyer’s name stands out in the African American history of Omaha. He defended his community constantly, unrelentingly, and powerfully as a journalist and advocate who commanded troops during the Great War. Continuously earning the begrudging respect of his white legal colleagues in Omaha, he was also a founding member of several Black empowerment organizations and involved in many of the city’s...
Share
Mark as Played
September 4, 2021 • 8 min
On Veterans Day, 1941, there was a giant parade for the dedication of a new monument to honor the life of John J. Pershing, General of the Armies during World War I. The City of Omaha named a new roadway leading from Abbott Drive to River Drive after him, as well. This wasn’t the beginning of North Omaha’s love affair with this leader though. Adam Fletcher Sasse has the rest of the story
Our thanks to our patrons:
Barb Naughtin
Lon...
Share
Mark as Played
June 19, 2021 • 31 min
Pioneer cemeteries, Jewish cemeteries, military burials, African American burials, famous people and forgotten people make North Omaha's cemeteries a vital piece of the city's history. These are the final resting places of thousands of people from the 1840s through today.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Lonnie (Hansen) Dunbier
Paul Feilmann
Tim Reeder
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Tro...
Share
Mark as Played
May 29, 2021 • 18 min
History of Department Stores in North Omaha. The idea of going to a single store to shop for many different types of products came around in the 1750s in England. Omaha’s first department stores opened downtown in the 1870s and 1880s, with the biggest ones staying around for a century. However, in a city as segregated as Omaha it was important that the Black community and Jewish community needed their own shopping opportunities. Al...
Share
Mark as Played
April 10, 2021 • 16 min
The oldest neighborhoods in the North Omaha community are Florence and the Near North Side, which is immediately north of North Downtown and south of Pratt Street. Other outlying houses and buildings may exist, but are largely hidden by the newer developments around them. Here are ten of the oldest buildings in North Omaha, all built more than 125 years ago.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Lonnie Hansen Dunbier
Paul Feilmann
Tim Reeder...
Share
Mark as Played
March 7, 2021 • 25 min
The 24th and Lake Historic District is being recognized more and more as a cultural asset to all of Omaha, and to the Midwestern United States overall. The African American heritage of the intersection includes jazz and blues, parades and big bands, and modern social justice movements stemming from the 1950s through today. Adam has is the history of one of the most important locations in the 24th and Lake Historic District, and the...
Share
Mark as Played
January 16, 2021 • 17 min
When Omaha was founded, Carter Lake didn't even exist! But after a big flood, it became a playground for the people with amusement parks, resorts, a public beach, an airport and a lot more. This is a history of the Carter Lake.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Carl Jackson
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Lori Schwartz
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plain...
Share
Mark as Played
December 21, 2020 • 16 min
Oftentimes, great leaders take their place in history. However, this right hasn't been given to many African American leaders, especially in Omaha. One man single-handedly roused a generation of political activism, social consciousness, and deliberate action to improve the conditions of newly liberated Black people who settled in Omaha when it was a very young city. This is the life of Edwin Overall.
Our thanks to our patrons:...
Share
Mark as Played
December 6, 2020 • 21 min
The founder of Florence was a pioneer store owner from the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. Then he crossed the Missouri River to stake out his future town. After he died, his wife kept his body in a glass-covered casket in a backyard mausoleum at their Florence house for a year. Here’s the story of James Comey Mitchell, the founder of Florence.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Carl Jackson
Richard Gude
Daniel...
Share
Mark as Played
October 21, 2020 • 12 min
One neighborhood in North Omaha had a hospital, a half-dozen churches and businesses galore, and a long history. Then it all seemed to disappear. This is a history of the Monmouth Park neighborhood.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Carl Jackson
Kelsey Tarrell
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Lori Schwartz
and
Jim Collison
The North Omaha His...
Share
Mark as Played
October 10, 2020 • 9 min
For more than 150 years, North Omaha has experienced powerful leadership within the community. Some leaders have appealed to African Americans, some to white people, and some have created bridges to support all North Omahans. From the 1950s through the 1980s, one man was regularly credited with the latter. This is a biography of community leader, entrepreneur and educator Dr. Rodney Wead.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Jenna Smith
Dan ...
Share
Mark as Played
August 22, 2020 • 12 min
Dan Desdunes was The Man. For more than 20 years, he was the leader of Omaha’s powerhouse music scene. He also launched several musicians’ careers, volunteered around the community, and was well-thought of throughout his life. But even before he got to Omaha, Desdunes made waves ripple in Louisiana. This is the biography of North Omaha’s Dan Desdunes.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Troy Lewellen
Carl Jackson
Ke...
Share
Mark as Played
July 20, 2020 • 16 min
Imagine a warm summer evening at the turn of the century. Look out on Carter Lake and see the lightning bugs flickering and listen to the cicadas roaring. Picture yourself strolling along a boardwalk wrapped along the edge of the lake, wearing fancy clothes and just basking in the natural opulence. Walking by clubs and docks with sailboats bobbing in the darkness, you see cottages and restaurants all crowding the edge. Then you see...
Share
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time, told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 a.m.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.