Naomi Institute
Encyclopedia
The Naomi Institute, also known as the Rock Bluff School, is located in the ghost town of Rock Bluff, Nebraska
, three miles east of Murray
. It was one of the earliest higher education
institutions in Nebraska
, founded in 1870 as a pioneer college. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977.
, today the one-story brick school is all that remains of a ghost town
. Rock Bluff was a popular crossing on the Missouri River
, and had a post office, a mayor, the county fair, a common lodge hall for Masons and Odd Fellows, and a variety of businesses including three stores, two blacksmith shops, two saloons and a billiard hall. There was a race track near the steamboat landing, and a coal mine south of town.
Joseph Diven Patterson secured a lot overlooking the Rock and Squaw creeks of the Missouri River
bluffs in order to establish a school in 1870. He built a two-story building that was 25 feet by 50 feet in size for $3,500. On September 1, 1870 the Naomi Institute opened. Advertisements for the Institute reported that "the morals of the place are the very best there is, not a dramshop in the village, and the pupil will be free from the surroundings of vice that are usually found in larger and 'faster' towns in the West
." The Naomi Institute was regarded as one of the leading educational institutions in Nebraska, and was the first higher education institution in Cass County
.
After opening successfully, the school’s debt forced Patterson to sell the building in 1872. It later served as the Rock Bluffs School.
After a railroad bridge was built in Omaha
in the 1870s the town of Rock Bluff lost its importance, which was only exacerbated when the closest railroad tracks were built ten miles west. The town was completely abandoned by the 1940s.
owned by the Cass County Historical Society and is used as a museum that is open by appointment. In 2003 the Nebraska Humanities Council held some of the events for the Plattsmouth Chautauqua
on the site.
Rock Bluff, Nebraska
Rock Bluff is a ghost town in Cass County located approximately three miles east of Murray in the U.S. state of Nebraska. Once the home of an influential college called the Naomi Institute, Rock Bluff was instrumental in the 1866 vote that gave Nebraska statehood.-About:Rock Bluff was a pioneer...
, three miles east of Murray
Murray, Nebraska
Murray is a village in Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 481 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Murray is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
. It was one of the earliest higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institutions in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, founded in 1870 as a pioneer college. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1977.
History
Originally a two-story structure in Rock Bluff, NebraskaRock Bluff, Nebraska
Rock Bluff is a ghost town in Cass County located approximately three miles east of Murray in the U.S. state of Nebraska. Once the home of an influential college called the Naomi Institute, Rock Bluff was instrumental in the 1866 vote that gave Nebraska statehood.-About:Rock Bluff was a pioneer...
, today the one-story brick school is all that remains of a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
. Rock Bluff was a popular crossing on the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, and had a post office, a mayor, the county fair, a common lodge hall for Masons and Odd Fellows, and a variety of businesses including three stores, two blacksmith shops, two saloons and a billiard hall. There was a race track near the steamboat landing, and a coal mine south of town.
Joseph Diven Patterson secured a lot overlooking the Rock and Squaw creeks of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
bluffs in order to establish a school in 1870. He built a two-story building that was 25 feet by 50 feet in size for $3,500. On September 1, 1870 the Naomi Institute opened. Advertisements for the Institute reported that "the morals of the place are the very best there is, not a dramshop in the village, and the pupil will be free from the surroundings of vice that are usually found in larger and 'faster' towns in the West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
." The Naomi Institute was regarded as one of the leading educational institutions in Nebraska, and was the first higher education institution in Cass County
Cass County, Nebraska
-Other Geographical notes:Due to its proximity to Cass County, Iowa, and because both of those counties receive most of their broadcasts from Omaha, Nebraska, references to 'Cass County' must be frequently disambiguated, or result in confusion.-Demographics:...
.
After opening successfully, the school’s debt forced Patterson to sell the building in 1872. It later served as the Rock Bluffs School.
After a railroad bridge was built in Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
in the 1870s the town of Rock Bluff lost its importance, which was only exacerbated when the closest railroad tracks were built ten miles west. The town was completely abandoned by the 1940s.
Present
Today the Rock Bluff School, purportedly the oldest schoolhouse in Cass County, isowned by the Cass County Historical Society and is used as a museum that is open by appointment. In 2003 the Nebraska Humanities Council held some of the events for the Plattsmouth Chautauqua
Chautauqua
Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with...
on the site.
