North Omaha History Podcast, Omaha History, South Omaha History

In the 1940s and 50s, the region north of Ames Street and east of 42nd Street grew rapidly. The area had been farms. but during the post-World War II housing boom, all those fields were planted with neighborhoods, schools and families. Those folks needed grocery stores, barber shops and clothing stores. North Omaha’s first shopping center opened in the early 60s. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha Histo... Read more

Often forgotten and neglected by Omaha, there’s an area that was home to hard-working folks who, for more than a century, made their living growing food. It was in the areas known today as the Sherman neighborhood, the old town of East Omaha, Birchwood, and everything on the Nebraska side of Carter Lake. Adam tells us all about truck farms in East Omaha. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcas... Read more

James Monroe Parker is one of the most important people in the history of Florence. His business and his farm are two of the most visible historical landmarks in Omaha today, even though only one is acknowledged for its importance. Listen in as Adam takes it from there. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha

Did you know that North Omaha has at least eight historic cemeteries? Serving religious and ethnic populations as well as the general public, these are the final resting places of thousands of people from the 1840s through today. Adam has some great stories about these cemeteries. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha

In the last decade, the lynching of Will Brown has received a lot of attention in Omaha and beyond. However, many of the facts in the story have been lost to time and others muddled away. For years, Adam has searched for little-known details about Brown’s lynching and he shares what he learned in this podcast episode. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to ... Read more

Once there was a massive public housing project located at the intersection of North 24th and Paul Streets in the Near North Side neighborhood. Originally named the “Northside Village Public Housing Project,” the name was officially changed in honor of the famous Omaha tribe leader Logan Fontenelle. Starting in the late 1970s, these projects were unofficially known as “Little Vietnam”. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on a... Read more

Starting in 1896, the Salvation Army ran numerous facilities in North Omaha. Adam walks us through all those facilities. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha

Some places hold the memories of North Omaha’s past more eloquently than others. While some of North Omaha transitioned from country estates to suburban bliss, from commuter haven to neglected hood, one building has stood steady in the community throughout almost everything. It’s called The Sherman. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com/Omaha

The town of East Omaha was south of the present-day Eppley Airport, west of Abbott Drive, and north and west of the Missouri River. Throughout the years, this town has been home to more than 2,600 homes, countless businesses, a school, the East Omaha River Rats, and now the Open Door Mission, the Omaha Correctional Center, the Omaha Immigration Court, and businesses like Monarch Oil and the FleetPride Service Center. Help us meet ... Read more

Located on the southwest corner of 24th and Lake for more than 50 years, Duffy Drug was an iconic store in North Omaha. Before they were there, the site at 2424 North 24th Street was home to the farthest north drug store in Omaha. Then the first Black-owned business in Omaha was on the southwest corner of 24th - the Soul House music store opened in 1968. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcas... Read more

Malcolm X was born in 1925 as Malcolm Little in Omaha to Earl and Louise Little, but lived in Omaha less than a year. His story in the city is longer though, where leaders have never managed to memorialize him with a building, street, park, library or museum. Adam Fletcher Sasse guides us through a biography of Malcolm X in Omaha. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. ... Read more

Did you know that North Omaha has been home to FIVE higher education institutions in its history? It was 1863 when the Town of Saratoga, now located in North Omaha, went to the Nebraska Territorial Legislature and secured a charter for the first-ever University of Nebraska. Unfortunately, their efforts amounted to nill—but their legacy did not! Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becom... Read more

Imagine a time when riding a streetcar was interesting, respected and almost a little glamorous. On the dusty, granite-covered streets of Omaha, that time was during the 1870s and 1880s. That new technology needed fanciful buildings to go along with the times, and the streetcar maintenance shop at 2606 North 26th Street in North Omaha was one of those buildings. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha Histor... Read more

There are several lost towns and villages located inside present-day North Omaha. Over time, they’ve been annexed, absorbed and otherwise soaked into the fabric of the city of Omaha and largely forgotten. Only Florence and Benson have retained distinctive identities as dedicated former towns. The rest are almost wholly missing from the public record. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by... Read more

North Omaha’s African American culture has grown and changed dramatically since its founding in 1854. One of the main drivers of the culture for more than a century has been the Black media. From the time Omaha’s first Black newspaper was published in 1889 through Shanelle Williams’ continued use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media today to build the African American community in Omaha, Black media has continued to transfor... Read more

The Belt Line railway was once a passenger service, then an industrial line for 75+ years. Today, there’s nothing left of it besides an empty rail bed. The railroad heading up the modern-day Sorensen Parkway was the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad. Another railroad headed north from the Webster Street Station north to Florence and points beyond. It was the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway, aka th... Read more

In the 1860s, the Union Pacific established its shops north of downtown Omaha, and Scandinavians came to work there. The largest populations to settle in Nebraska were in North Omaha. Scandinavians also had homes in other parts of Omaha, but between 1860 and 1919, the vast majority lived north of Dodge and west of North 30th Street. Help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron... Read more

Reed’s Ice Cream was a popular business that opened in Omaha in 1930, and operated into the early 1960s. Their signature bungalows were strategically spread throughout the community, and heavily anchored in several North Omaha neighborhoods. So, what happened to Reed’s? Adam Fletcher Sasse explains. You can help us meet expenses and keep the light on at the North Omaha History Podcast by becoming a patron. Please go to Patreon.com... Read more

In 1927 a lawsuit tried to prevent the land that is now Eppley Airfield from usage as an airport. However, the judge ruled against that restriction, and the City declared the area as the new Municipal Airport and hangars were immediately built. An American Legion gathering in Omaha immediately drew crowds and it was referred to as the American Legion Airfield for a short time. The airport boomed into 1929. Adam explains what happen... Read more