List of the oldest buildings in Nebraska

This article lists the oldest extant buildings in Nebraska, including extant buildings and structures constructed prior to and during the United States rule over Nebraska. Only buildings built prior to 1870 are suitable for inclusion on this list, or the building must be the oldest of its type.

In order to qualify for the list, a structure must:

  • be a recognizable building (defined as any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy);
  • incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and/or be a listed building.

This consciously excludes ruins of limited height, roads and statues. Bridges may be included if they otherwise fulfill the above criteria. Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating or dendrochronology and should be considered approximate. If the exact year of initial construction is estimated, it will be shown as a range of dates.

List of oldest buildings

Building Image Location First built Use Notes
Log Cabin (Bellevue, Nebraska) Bellevue, Nebraska ca. 1835 Residence Fur trapper's log cabin; Likely oldest building in the state
Florence Mill Omaha, Nebraska ca. 1846 Commercial Oldest mill in the state; construction overseen by Brigham Young
Willow Creek Pony Express Station Cozad, Nebraska ca. 1849 Commercial Pony Express station, was moved a small distance in 1938
Didier Cabin Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1854 Residence
Arbor Lodge Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1855 Residence Built for the founder of Arbor Day, Julius Sterling Morton
Mayhew Cabin Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1855 Residence One of the oldest houses in Nebraska City
Fontenelle Bank Bellevue, Nebraska ca. 1856 Commercial Oldest bank building in the state
William Hamilton House Bellevue, Nebraska ca. 1856 Residence
Bank of Florence Omaha, Nebraska ca. 1857 Commercial Oldest building in Omaha
Frederick L. Gottschalk House Columbus, Nebraska ca. 1857 Residence The cabin was relocated to the interior of the Platte County Historical Society Museum.
Taylor-Wessel-Bickel-Nelson House Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1857 Residence One of the oldest houses in Nebraska City
Presbyterian Church Bellevue, Nebraska ca. 1858 Religious
Russell, Majors, and Waddell Freighting Company Building Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1858 Commercial/ Residence Built by the US Army and sold to the supply firm Russell, Majors, and Waddell
Russell, Majors, Waddell House Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1858 Residence Built by Alexander Majors for Russell, Majors, and Waddell
Russell, Majors, Waddell-Stevenson House Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1858 Residence Built by Alexander Majors for Russell, Majors, and Waddell
Brownville Methodist Church Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1859 Religious Oldest brick church in Nebraska
Abbott Gates House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1859 Residence
Midway Stage Station Dawson County, Nebraska ca. 1859 Commercial/ Residence
Stolley Homestead Site Grand Island, Nebraska ca. 1859 Residence
8621 North 31st Street Omaha, Nebraska ca. 1859 Residence Oldest house in Omaha; built within earlier Mormon settlement of Cutler's Park (Florence, Omaha).[1]
Brown-Carson House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1860 Residence
Emmanuel Lutheran Church Dakota City, Nebraska ca. 1860 Religious
George and Nancy Turner House Fremont, Nebraska ca. 1860 Residence
St. Benedict's Catholic Church Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1861 Religious Oldest brick Catholic church in the state
United Presbyterian Church Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1861 Religious Originally a Presbyterian church then used by the Mormons
608 1st Avenue Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1861 Residence
McLaughlin-Parks House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1862 Residence
Beehive House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1863 Residence
Heinrich Giese House Grand Island, Nebraska ca. 1863 Residence
Worthing-Baker House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1863 Residence
Bratton-Minick House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1864 Residence
Jesse C. Bickle House Crete, Nebraska ca. 1864 Residence
J. H. Catron House Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1865 Residence
John Henry Stork Log House Burt County, Nebraska ca. 1865 Residence
Otoe County Courthouse Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1865 Government Oldest public building in the state
John Sautter Farmhouse Papillion, Nebraska ca. 1866 Residence
George Stevens House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1866 Residence
Heritage House Museum Weeping Water, Nebraska ca. 1867 Residence The former parsonage of the Congregational Church of Weeping Water
Palmer-Epard House Gage County, Nebraska ca. 1867 Residence
Zweibel Farmstead Sarpy County, Nebraska ca. 1867 Residence
Anthony P. Cogswell House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1868 Residence
Furnas House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1868 Residence Home of Governor Robert Wilkinson Furnas
John W. Bennett House Nemaha County, Nebraska ca. 1868 Residence Oldest example of the I-House in the state
Lone Tree Saloon Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1868 Commercial
Michael Witt Fachwerkbau Saline County, Nebraska ca. 1868 Residence
St. John's Lutheran Church Nemaha County, Nebraska ca. 1868 Religious Oldest stone church in Nebraska
Elm Creek Fort Minden, Nebraska ca. 1869 Residence
Jasper A. Ware House Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1869 Residence House of the co-founder of the Midland Pacific Railway, Jasper Ware
John L. Colhapp House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1869 Residence
Samuel Bullock House Fremont, Nebraska ca. 1869 Residence
Thomas P. Kennard House Lincoln, Nebraska ca. 1869 Residence One of oldest houses in Lincoln, NE
Tipton House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1869 Residence
122 South 6th Street Plattsmouth, Nebraska ca. 1869 Religious
Christopher Anderson House Nebraska City, Nebraska ca. 1870 Residence
Commanding Officers Quarters Sidney, Nebraska ca. 1870 Government/ Residence
Congregational Church and Manse Santee, Nebraska ca. 1870 Religious
Eli S. Wibley House Brownville, Nebraska ca. 1870 Residence
Naomi Institute Rock Bluff, Nebraska ca. 1870 Education
Cook house on Spade Ranch (Nebraska) Ellsworth, Nebraska ca. 1877 Ranch One of the oldest and largest ranches in Nebraska; Cookhouse moved from Newman Ranch in 1888.
General Crook House Fort Omaha ca. 1879 Government Home to Civil War/Indian Wars general

See also

References

  1. ^ The Oldest House in North Omaha https://northomahahistory.com/2015/07/19/the-oldest-houses-in-north-omaha/#:~:text=THE%20OLDEST%3A%208621%20North%2031st,the%20oldest%20house%20in%20Omaha.