Kountze Park (Omaha, Nebraska)
Encyclopedia
Kountze Park is an urban public park located at 1920 Pinkney Street in the Kountze Place
neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska
, in the United States
, and is historically significant as the site of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898
.
towns of Omaha
and Saratoga, Kountze Park was part of a plot belonging to banker Herman Kountze
.
The Grand Court of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition
was located in Kountze Park in 1898. When the search committee sought to acquire a large parcel of land to locate the city's highlight attraction, Kountze's generous offer of 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) of land for $15,000.00, plus a donation of $5000 worth of land for this future park, was ideal. The site was soon covered with buildings, boulevards, and a beautiful lagoon almost 1/2 mile long, lit by the latest technology of the times, electrical lights.
The Greater America Exposition was held at the same location in many of the same buildings the following year. By the end of 1899, all of the buildings were demolished or removed. In the several years after the Exposition, the lagoon was filled in and the area was graded to form Kountze Park. Around the park a middle- and upper-class community grew, eventually forming a connection between Near North Omaha and Saratoga.
A scenic pond remained at the park as a remnant of the original lagoon; it was filled with dirt in 1953.
In 1998 many improvements to Kountze Park were made, including new playground equipment, tree plantings and a historical marker that pays homage to the Exposition. Kountze Park has been a repeated crime location in recent years.
Kountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...
neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska
North Omaha, Nebraska
North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is historically significant as the site of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 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 Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...
.
About
Kountze Park is bordered by 19th Street on the east & 20th Street on the west, Pinkney Street on the north and Pratt Street on the south. The park is the location of a water park, playground, basketball and tennis courts, and a pavilion. It is also home to a summer program operated by the City of Omaha Parks and Recreation Department.History
Once on a broad, flat plain midway between the Nebraska TerritoryNebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...
towns of Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
and Saratoga, Kountze Park was part of a plot belonging to banker Herman Kountze
Herman Kountze
Herman Kountze was a powerful and influential pioneer banker in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 19th century. After organizing the Kountze Brothers Bank in 1857 as the second bank in Omaha, Herman and his brothers Augustus, Charles and Luther changed the charter in 1863, opening the First National...
.
Trans-Mississippi Exposition Site
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 Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...
was located in Kountze Park in 1898. When the search committee sought to acquire a large parcel of land to locate the city's highlight attraction, Kountze's generous offer of 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) of land for $15,000.00, plus a donation of $5000 worth of land for this future park, was ideal. The site was soon covered with buildings, boulevards, and a beautiful lagoon almost 1/2 mile long, lit by the latest technology of the times, electrical lights.
The Greater America Exposition was held at the same location in many of the same buildings the following year. By the end of 1899, all of the buildings were demolished or removed. In the several years after the Exposition, the lagoon was filled in and the area was graded to form Kountze Park. Around the park a middle- and upper-class community grew, eventually forming a connection between Near North Omaha and Saratoga.
A scenic pond remained at the park as a remnant of the original lagoon; it was filled with dirt in 1953.
Modern times
In 1980, while excavating for a new sewer in Kountze Park, a construction foreman uncovered several pieces of a building from the Exposition. An attempt to recover more artifacts was unsuccessful. Today there are only a few pieces of plaster from Exposition buildings that remain as tangible historical artifacts.In 1998 many improvements to Kountze Park were made, including new playground equipment, tree plantings and a historical marker that pays homage to the Exposition. Kountze Park has been a repeated crime location in recent years.
External links
- 1920s postcard
- Historic postcard from the Omaha Public Library website.
- Historic postcard of the pond from the Omaha Public Library website.
- Picture of Nebraska State Historical Marker at Kountze Park.
- Text of Nebraska State Historical Marker at Kountze Park.
