Published November 29, 2024 | Updated May 8, 2026

Sitting in Old Towne Bellevue is the oldest building in the state. It dates back to 1835, nearly 20 years before the Nebraska Territory was opened for settlement.

The Pioneer Log Cabin, located at 1805 Hancock Street, was part of John Jacob Astor’s fur trading post. It was moved to higher ground after a cholera outbreak, then moved to its current site, which belonged to the Presbyterian Mission, in 1854. In 1856, Joseph Betz used it as a carpenter’s shop when he built the Old Presbyterian Church on Franklin Street.

The cabin, with hand-hewn cottonwood logs originally packed with mud, had a dirt floor, a fireplace, and a loft used as a bedroom. It served as a residence for just three families from 1856 until 1954, during which time it grew in size when a kitchen and pantry were added to the east end of the building. Over the years, grout replaced mud to seal the cabin, the exterior walls were covered with clapboard, and a window was added to the south.

It was occupied by James Gow. Research by Michaela Armetta of the Omaha History Club states that Gow bought it from Joseph La Flesche, Iron Eye, the last recognized head chief of the Omaha Tribe. If true, the cabin may have been the birthplace of Susette La Flesche, Bright Eyes. She was a spokesperson for Native American rights and acted as Standing Bear’s interpreter during his trial in 1879.

Gow sold the cabin to the first of two widows. The first was Mary Kinney in 1868. The second was Josephine Mountain, whose family owned the cabin from 1885 until they sold it to the Sarpy County Historical Society in 1954.

Since then, the cabin has undergone several restoration projects, including the removal of the clapboard siding, replacement of both the roof and rotting logs, and the addition of a basement. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Today the cabin is said to be in near-original condition and is available for tours by contacting the museum.

At more than 190 years old, the modest pioneer cabin pre-dates the Mormons’ arrival to Florence and still stands while its contemporaries don’t. It’s one you can still experience by walking through it, seeing the hand-hewn logs, and taking in a structure that has stood for nearly two centuries. Tours are available by contacting the museum.

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Sources

• Omah World-Herald archives
• Log Cabin (Bellevue, Nebraska) – Wikipedia
• Thomas P. Kennard State Historic Site – Nebraska State Historical Society
• Historic Bellevue church is oldest surviving church building in Nebraska
• https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/9c20e5f6-65d4-4fe9-98b8-91daf1f9ce07