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Nebraska City, Nebraska

A 52-room mansion that belonged to J. Sterling Morton, Founder of Arbor Day. Many of the family's original pieces fill the home. The Carriage house displays carriages used by the family. Walking trails wind through the grounds.

J. Sterling Morton was the founder of Arbor Day, an American holiday designated for planting trees. The original house, built in 1855, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was remodeled several times by the late 1800s. In 1903, Morton's son, Joy, converted the house in the three-story, fifty-two-room, Neo-Classical Revival mansion of today. As a pioneer Nebraska journalist, politician, and leader in horticulture and conservation, J. Sterling Morton served as secretary of agriculture under President Grover Cleveland in 1893. Arbor Lodge was donated to the state of Nebraska in 1923 and is now a state historical park administered by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Otoe County Courthouse

This two-story, Georgian brick structure is the oldest public building in the state of Nebraska still in use. The building was completed in 1865 when Otoe County was formed and Nebraska City named the county seat. Inside, several photos and displays portray the building's history.

Nebraska City, NE Historic Courthouses

Taylor - Wessel - Brickel House
(Nelson House)

The Taylor - Wessel - Bickel House is one of the oldest homes in the state and the finest example of Greek Revival Architecture. In the late 1850

Nebraska City, NE Museums

Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Arboretum

A 52-room mansion that belonged to J. Sterling Morton, Founder of Arbor Day. Many of the family's original pieces fill the home. The Carriage house displays carriages used by the family. Walking trails wind through the grounds.

Nebraska City, NE Arboretums

Wildwood Historic Home and Art Barn

When Jasper Ware, an early Nebraska City banker took his wife, Ellen Kinney, to the west edge of town, pointed out the heavily wooded area south of Arbor Lodge, and said he wanted to build her a country home on the site, she responded, "Oh Jasper, I couldn't live in these wild woods!"

Nebraska City, NE Museums

Old Freighters Museum

On July 20, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set foot on the gently sloped banks of what is now known as Nebraska City and considered it an "ideal site for a future city." About 40 years later, the original Fort Kearny was built at this spot.

Nebraska City, NE Museums

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