Three

DOWNTOWN

From its beginnings in the 1850s as the address of Fort Kearny, the main street of Nebraska City has been the core of the community. Called Main Street for many years, the road now known as Central Avenue has been home to banks, jewelry stores, salons, saloons, retailers, grocery stores, medical offices, and hotels. Pictured here in the 1880s is a bustling, thriving downtown street scene. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Before brick and paved roads, Nebraska City streets were muddy. The northwest corner of First Corso and Ninth Street, with St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in the foreground, is pictured here. The Otoe County Courthouse is in the background. (Courtesy of the GAR Hall.)

Since the automobile did not arrive in Nebraska City until after 1900, horses and carriages were the main form of transportation for the town’s first 50 years. Pictured is the William Brower blacksmith shop. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

This store was owned and established by Frederick William Rodenbrock in 1873. Groceries, provisions, boots, shoes, and liquor were all important items to settlers traveling west as well as Nebraska City residents. In 1890, Rodenbrock built a new store at the northwest corner of Twelfth Street and Central Avenue. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Built in 1889, the imposing structure on the northwest corner of Ninth Street and Central Avenue was home to Karstens Furniture and Undertaking. While that may seem like a strange pairing to people today, historically, undertakers made coffins, so it was a natural fit to include furniture crafting and sales to their business. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The German Opera House, located on First Corso between Sixth and Seventh Streets, opened in 1873. Seating 600 spectators, the building witnessed many performances in its time, including a sharpshooting demonstration by Buffalo Bill Cody. The opera house was sponsored by the German Turner Society. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Located next to the opera house on the northwest corner of Sixth Street and First Corso was the Overland Theatre. A newspaper account of the opening night in December 1897 reported, “From the daintily carved screens that enclose the boxes to the broad relief frieze of balcony front and arching molds of the proscenium there is a refinement and harmony of detail and color that will delight the eye for all time.” (Courtesy of Arbor Lodge.)

The Overland Theatre was funded by the J. Sterling Morton family. Morton is pictured here (center) with grandsons Wirt (left) and Sterling. The richly appointed Overland served as a playhouse, a burlesque theater, and finally a movie house. Abandoned in 1938, the building burned down in 1943. (Courtesy of Arbor Lodge.)

Early Nebraska City buildings varied in architectural style. While there were plenty of log cabins, there were also many brick and stone structures. Soon, builders started to experiment with different architectural styles such as Greek Revival, Italianate, Romanesque, Gothic, Neo-Colonial, and especially Victorian, as evidenced here by the Seymour House on Central Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Streets. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Nebraska City boasted several cigar factories in the 1800s, with the first one opening in 1867. The Charles Shaw Cigar Store was located downtown. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

The early settlers of Nebraska City did not wish to live without some of the modern conveniences they knew from back east. Above, the Gaskill Music Company welcomes a shipment of pianos. The Gaskill Music Company not only stocked pianos, but also sold jewelry. (Both courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

As the Nebraska Territory opened up, there were four distinct settlements with their own business and residential areas that emerged at this location. In 1858, those four towns—Nebraska City, Kearney City, South Nebraska City, and Prairie City—merged together to form one community: Nebraska City. Downtown businesses tried to meet every need of settlers in the area. Lumberyards such as the Otoe Lumber Company, pictured here at the northeast corner Sixth Street and First Corso, were common. (Courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation.)

One of the first businesses in Nebraska City was the News, a newspaper that started in 1855. Three years later, the Press began publication. There were several other periodicals to come and go over the next few decades, including a German newspaper, but none lasted. In 1925, the News and the Press joined together become the Nebraska City News Press. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Downtown Nebraska City boasted numerous hotels during the early years, including the Morton House (later renamed the Seymour House and then the Frontier Hotel), the Marcus Hotel, and the Grand Hotel. The Barnum House (pictured), on the southeast corner of Eighth Street and Central Avenue, was a four-story brick hotel with 50 rooms. It was renamed the Watson Hotel and was severely damaged by a nighttime fire in 1911. It was condemned and torn down. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The Otoe County Courthouse was built on a whole city block between Central Avenue and First Corso and Tenth and Eleventh Streets. The large grassy lawn and grown trees beautified downtown. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

This panoramic photograph was captured in 1908. The photographer is standing in the street at the intersection of Central Avenue and Tenth Street with the Otoe County Courthouse at the far left. (Courtesy of the Morton James Public Library.)

As Nebraska City grew and changed, the business landscape shifted as well. According to business directories from the late 1800s, Singer Sewing Machines relocated several times over the years, all up and down Central Avenue. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Morrison’s Pianos & Organs embodied the entrepreneurial spirit of the Midwest. In addition to pianos and organs, it also sold watches, diamonds, jewelry, and clocks. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The Petrings were one the early families of Nebraska City. Throughout the years, they catered to the ever-changing population of the town by selling everything from produce (above) to auto parts (below). In 1860, Nebraska City was home to 1,922 residents. While some records say the population was up to 12,000 by 1890, others argue against that number, accusing town leaders of counting the graves in Wyuka Cemetery to pad numbers. By 1900, Nebraska City was one of the largest communities in the state, with a population of 7,380. It has averaged 7,000 residents since that time. (Both courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Many Nebraska City merchants volunteered their time to help the community. George Kees (far left) owned a general store and was a member of the Great Western Fire Company No. 1. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The Otoe County Bakery and the Otoe Brewing Company were next door to each other in downtown Nebraska City. While most businesses took the name of their proprietor, a few did pay homage to Indian tribes who once called the area home. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

General stores and grocery stores were a necessity for early settlements. The Valentine Feldhauser grocery store (above) was located at 812 Central Avenue. Feldhauser volunteered on the Otoe Hook and Ladder Company. (Both courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

F.W. Rottman was a German immigrant and one of the early settlers of Nebraska City. His store sold groceries and general merchandise. Rottman was active in community affairs, serving as president of the Nebraska City Canning Company and director of the Otoe County Fair Association. While the store has an address of 226 Main Street, it was located on the north side of Central Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

This is an interior photograph of Fitchie Grocery Store, which shared a corner of Fifth Street and Central Avenue with a restaurant for many years. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

When John Hamlin and his family moved to Nebraska City from Cincinnati, Ohio, he built a windowless, floorless log cabin near Eighth Street and First Corso. As the years went by, Hamlin added on to the structure when he could. By 1866, it was a wood-framed hotel named the Cincinnati House. Part of the structure is still standing today and serves as a retail space. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The name Thorp was mainly associated with the Pinney and Thorp Mill, which produced 5,000 barrels of flour per year. The mill burned in 1877. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Herman Henry Bartling, a German immigrant, owned and operated a general store at Eleventh Street and Central Avenue for many years, beginning in 1875. Bartling served the community as mayor of Nebraska City and also served on the council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Above, courtesy of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce; below, the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The structure on the southwest corner of Seventh Street and Central Avenue is easily recognizable to current residents and visitors. It was built as a hardware store in the late 1860s for William Bischof, who worked as a freighter when he first came to Nebraska City. Bischof’s closed in 1978 after more than 100 years in business; the building is still used as a retail store today. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Shops in downtown Nebraska City catered to every need of the community’s residents. Pictured here on the north side of Central Avenue between Eighth and Ninth Street is a hardware store, clothing store, music store, and a dentist. Apartments were located on the second floors. (Courtesy of Dorris Sackles.)

One early businessman was J.W. Faunce, pictured here in 1873 as a member of the Otoe Hook and Ladder Company. Faunce and McNamara was one of many general goods stores in downtown Nebraska City. (At left, courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting; below, the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The oldest bank in Nebraska City, still in existence and the second oldest in the state of Nebraska, is Arbor Bank. When it was first organized in 1865, it was called Otoe County National Bank and intended to help finance freighting operations. This photograph is of the interior of Otoe County National Bank in 1922. (Courtesy of the Kimmel Foundation.)

Merchants National Bank was another early bank of Nebraska City and was established in 1857. It is pictured here in August 1886. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

This 1900 photograph shows the building at 524 Central Avenue, home of the Otoe Brewing Company at the time. Decades later, the top floor of the building served as the city’s roller rink. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Wholesale Grocery at 424 Central Avenue was one of the many locally owned grocery stores in Nebraska City. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

This Central Avenue structure, located between Fourth and Fifth Streets, opened as a four-story hotel called the Morton House in 1859. The name changed in the early 1860s to the Seymour House, then back to the Morton House for a time, and later became Frontier Hotel. The building was damaged by fire in 1919, then again in 1934; it was then demolished. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Nebraska City often felt the pains of rapid growth. Businesses floundered and closed when periods of high traffic and strong economics were followed by statewide and nationwide depressions. Although many storefronts have been renovated in recent years, some succumbed to time and have been demolished. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The Grand Hotel on the northeast corner of Tenth Street and Central Avenue was a downtown fixture for many years. Named the Schoff House when it opened in 1871, the hotel boasted 57 rooms and cost $50,000 to build. The Grand Hotel was gutted in a massive fire on December 6, 1970. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The Grand Hotel provided a spectacular background for every parade on Central Avenue, including the stock show parade in October 1908, pictured here. (Courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation.)

The Marcus Hotel at 601 Central also was destroyed by fire. It burned in 1936. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

The Watson Hotel, on the southeast corner of Eighth Street and Central Avenue, is pictured above in the early 1900s. An 1897 advertisement for the hotel claimed it was the “best $2.00 house in the city!” The Watson Hotel was damaged in a fire in 1911 and subsequently condemned and razed. A new three-story retail shop, pictured below, was built in its place. Cleveland and Son Department Store was the first tenant (pictured). The store is showcasing white outfits in anticipation of the upcoming Chautauqua to be held in town. The Nebraska City Chautauqua Association was in existence from 1909 to 1919. (Above, courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation; below, the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Even though the streetcars ceased operations in 1910, this photograph from Tenth Street and Central Avenue looking east shows that tracks remained a part of the downtown landscape for many years. The tracks are still embedded into the brick pavers, which make up the substructure of the current concrete overlay. (Courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation.)

A massive snowstorm hit Nebraska City and the surrounding area on February 25, 1912. One resident said it was “more snow than I ever saw at one time.” Shoppers downtown had to contend with large drifts on Central Avenue. (Both courtesy of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce.)

Mr. Dennis was the longtime janitor of the Nebraska City Post Office, pictured in the background. The post office was built in 1886 at a cost of $105,000 and was ornately designed because the town leaders were hoping to attract the federal court to locate there. When the court passed on the location, the postal service moved in. In the 1980s, the building was purchased and restored by Farmers Bank. (Courtesy of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce.)

This June 1912 photograph captures a moment of lightheartedness as local folks celebrate a wedding by decorating the buggy of the lucky couple. (Courtesy of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce.)

In 1906, Dinty Moore’s bar and restaurant opened on South Eighth Street in Nebraska City. The bar remained open even during the Prohibition years, around the time this photograph was taken. (Courtesy of Tim Pendrell.)

In the 1920s, downtown Nebraska City boasted hotels, drugstores, jewelry stores, and automobile repair shops. A pool hall, glass company, shoe store, and department store took up most of the south side of the 800 block of Central Avenue during that time. (Above, courtesy of the Morton James Public Library; below, the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Nebraska City’s muddy streets were bricked by the 1920s, allowing for easier navigation of automobiles. Cars could either park on the sides of the road or in the middle of the street. (Courtesy of Dorris Sackles.)

Pictured here around 1915, First Corso was often just as busy as Central Avenue, with the post office, the high school, and the Morton James Public Library all within two blocks of each other. (Courtesy of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce.)

By 1925, automobiles were so common in Nebraska City that the town installed parking meters along Central Avenue. The business district, however, soon extended beyond the Otoe County Courthouse at Eleventh Street and Central Avenue. Shops like the Bartling Seed Company, Inc., and the Garden Café (below) popped up on Central Avenue between Fifteenth and Sixteenth Streets. Today, that block is home to the Rowe Memorial Public Safety Complex. (Both courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Although this 1940s photograph shows little change in the physical structure of Central Avenue and downtown Nebraska City, the businesses within those buildings came and went. This photograph, taken at Ninth Street and Central Avenue facing east, shows a grocery store, café, beauty shop, dry cleaners, drugstores, and even an ice cream parlor. (Courtesy of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce.)

In 1928, the Nebraska City Building and Loan was constructed on South Eighth Street between Central Avenue and First Corso on a site previously home to a blacksmith shop and auto parts store. The building later housed the Nebraska City News Press. It is still in use today as a retail shop, corporate office, and a private residence. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

In 1855, Lewis Wessel opened a general store near Kearney Hill, and in 1869 he moved his store to Sixth Street and Central Avenue. Later, in 1890, Wessel moved to Seventh Street and Central Avenue. From 1913 until it burned down in 1964, Wessel’s Sons and Company was located on the south side of Central Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets. This 1914 postcard advertised for Wessel’s on the back by claiming it had “the largest and most complete stock of ladies and misses cloaks, suits, and dresses we have ever shown, all priced very moderately.” (Courtesy of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce.)

When shopping trends shifted, so did Nebraska City businesses. The 1970s and 1980s saw a strong presence of outlet stores in downtown Nebraska City. (Courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation.)

In this 1949 aerial view, the Otoe County Courthouse is easily spotted in the bottom center. The Morton James Public Library is on the opposite corner to the southeast of the courthouse, with the old Nebraska City High School beside it. South Eleventh Street, which stretches up the right side of the photograph, was still mostly residential at this time. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Historical Society.)

Construction on the Otoe County Courthouse began in 1864. The original building, which included a small cell in the basement to be used as a jail, was constructed for $22,500. The courthouse was enlarged over the years and is pictured here in 1954 during celebrations commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Nebraska City. (Courtesy of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce.)