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 the front door to Omaha, Cuming Street has also served as the city’s farthest edge; as the growing, mighty muscles of industry and business; and as its dirty, neglected backside. This is a history of Cuming Street in North Omaha.

Our thanks to our patrons:
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
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Black History Museum.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

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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 our patrons:
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
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Black History Museum.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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 important events. Adam has a biography of Harrison J. Pinkett.
Our thanks to our patrons:
Barb Naughtin
Lonnie Hansen Dunbier
Paul Feilmann
Tim Reeder
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Black History Museum. Open by appointment Thurs-Sat 1-5.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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
Lonnie Hansen Dunbier
Paul Feilmann
Tim Reeder
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Black History Museum. Open by appointment Thurs-Sat 1-5.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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
Troy Lewellen
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Black History Museum. Open by appointment Thurs-Sat 1-5.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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. Also, each suburb needed their own small department stores. Adam has the history of department stores in North Omaha.

Our thanks to our patrons:
Lonnie (Hansen) Dunbier
Paul Feilmann
Tim Reeder
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Carl Jackson
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Black History Museum. Open by appointment Thurs-Sat 1-5.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Carl Jackson
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Black History Museum. Open by appointment Thurs-Sat 1-5.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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 Jewell Building, home of the Dreamland Ballroom.

Our thanks to our patrons:
Tim Reeder
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Carl Jackson
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Jim Collison
and
The Great Plains Black History Museum. Open by appointment Thurs-Sat 1-5.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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 Plains Black History Museum. Open by appointment Thurs-Sat 1-5.
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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:
Mike Schill
Jenna Smith
Dan Hedrick
Carl Jackson
Richard Gude
Daniel Ammons
Sara Rogers
Troy Lewellen
Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh
Kristine Gerber
Jay Hannah
Lori Schwartz
and
Jim Collison
The North Omaha History podcast is a volunteer effort, but you can help us meet expenses by becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month. Go to https://www.patreon.com/omaha

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS