Lincoln, Nebraska

Lincoln was founded in 1856 as the village of Lancaster, and became the county seat of the newly created Lancaster County in 1859.

Omaha interests attempted to derail the move by having Lancaster renamed after the recently assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Many of the people south of the river had been sympathetic to the Confederate cause in the recently concluded Civil War, and it was assumed that the legislature would not pass the measure if the future capital were named after Abraham Lincoln. The choice to name the capital city “Lincoln” caused quite a stir among the constituents, whose sentiments were mixed regarding who should have won the Civil War.

City Montage