Jefferson Square was the last of three original

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to res ...

s extant in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

. Bounded by North 15th, 16th, Chicago and Cass Streets, the park was dedicated on November 25, 1865. It was razed by the city March 18, 1969 to make way for the construction of Interstate 480 in

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline ...

. Before that time it was the site of Omaha's first school, and considered for the location of the first

Omaha Public Library Omaha Public Library is the public library system of the city of Omaha, Nebraska. A library association was founded in 1857, but the library board was not appointed until 1877. In 1895, the library became one of the first six in the nation to cr ...

and the

Omaha Market House The Market House was a controversial fresh produce, meat and fish outlet on Capitol Avenue from North 12th to North 14th Avenues in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. After almost 40 years of debate and delays in building it, the City of Omaha built the ...

History

The original dimensions of the park, as surveyed by

Alfred D. Jones Alfred D. Jones (January 13, 1814 – August 30, 1902) was a late 19th-century lawyer, surveyor and politician in the Midwestern United States. In 1846 he platted Fort Des Moines, Iowa,Gue, B.F. (1903) ''History of Iowa from the Earliest Times ...

, were 264 by . After being platted in 1856, the park was formally opened in 1865. It was one of three parks originally platted for the downtown area. Early settlers reported finding

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations grou ...

s at the park, and later complained when there were no

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North ...

there to hunt. The first

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

in Omaha was built on the southwest corner of Jefferson Square in September 1863. It was a small, one-room wooden structure, and was moved in 1865. In 1875, the park hosted the launching of the ''

Omaha Bee The ''Omaha Daily Bee'' was a leading Republican newspaper that was active in the late 19th and early 20th century. The paper's editorial slant frequently pitted it against the ''Omaha Herald'', the ''Omaha Republican'' and other local papers. A ...

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carrie ...

, an advertising stunt by businessman

Edward Rosewater Edward Rosewater, born Edward Rosenwasser, (January 21, 1841 – August 30, 1906) was a Republican Party politician and newspaper editor in Omaha, Nebraska. Rosewater had a reputation for being "aggressive and controversial", and was influentia ...

. The balloon was the first in the city, and caused a stir when it was launched across the city. In 1893, the

Government of Omaha The government of the City of Omaha, Nebraska consists of the Mayor of Omaha, the Omaha City Council and various departments of the City of Omaha, which is located in Douglas County, Nebraska. The city of Omaha was founded in 1854 and incorpora ...

drew a lawsuit from a local citizen when they began constructing the Omaha Market House at the park. The case quickly veered public sentiment and legal favor, with a

Nebraska Supreme Court The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. Each justice is initially appointed by the governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each ju ...

ruling effectively preventing the city from building on the land "in perpetuity." The park hosted some events for the 1898

Trans-Mississippi Exposition The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coa ...

, as well. Eventually, the Omaha Market House was built at North 12th and Capitol Avenue, and stood from 1904 until 1910. It the 1910s the park was said to host "thousands of people daily." In addition to the market house, there were several other public structures proposed for the park. They included a school, which was built in 1863 and moved in 1878; an 1876 proposed military headquarters that eventually became

Fort Omaha Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha ...

; an 1878 proposed joint city/county building; the proposed market house, which came up repeatedly from 1884 to 1901; a proposed public library in 1887; a proposed city hall in 1889; an 1894 proposed auditorium; a proposed federal post office in 1897; a proposed armory in 1906; a proposed museum in 1910; a 1915 proposed fire station; a public bathhouse built in 1918 and demolished in 1945; a gymnasium proposed in 1918; and the Interstate 480, built in 1966 and still standing today. By the 1930s, the park had become a congregation place for

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

people. The city erected public baths which became very popular. By the end of that decade, the park was regarded as "less than desirable" and "disreputable" and was the target of city planners for redevelopment. By the late 1950s, the park was targeted for demolition to accommodate the new

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

. When the park was demolished in 1969 to make room for Interstate 480, it was the focus of intense preservation efforts led by Omaha citizens. However, their efforts failed, and the park was lost.Bednarek , J.R.D. (1992) ''The Changing Image of the City: Planning for Downtown Omaha, 1945-1973''. University of Nebraska Press. p 77.

References

External links

"A History of Jefferson Square Park"
by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com (August 13, 2022).

External links

Historical photo
{{Pioneer Omaha Parks in Omaha, Nebraska Pioneer history of Omaha, Nebraska History of Downtown Omaha, Nebraska Former buildings and structures in Omaha, Nebraska Sporting District, Omaha 1856 establishments in Nebraska Territory 1969 disestablishments in Nebraska

History

See also

References

External links

External links