Forest Lawn Memorial Park, also known as Forest Lawn Cemetery, is located at 7909 Mormon Bridge Road in

North Omaha, Nebraska North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. 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 ea ...

. It was established in 1885 when the mutual Forest Lawn Cemetery Association was donated in northwest of the city. In 1886, the first interment in the cemetery was the donor of the land, John H. Brackin. Forest Lawn is Omaha's largest cemetery and the burial location of many of Omaha's second generation of leadership.

History

Before Forest Lawn Cemetery was founded, the northwest corner of the property was used as a

Potter's Field A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been pu ...

for poor people and people whose identities were not known. It was used from at least the 1880s through the 1960s. The present area of is designed according to a park-type plan, with rolling hills, forests and lawns. Historic Omaha family names are scattered throughout the cemetery, along with veterans from the

Civil Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...

, Spanish–American, and World Wars I and II, as well as

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Wars. The G.A.R., the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and the Omaha

Typographical Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing (leading), and ...

Union owned parts of Forest Lawn Cemetery, and part of Forest Lawn was made into a national soldiers' cemetery. Income from the land, as it is sold, continues to be used for protecting, preserving, and embellishing the cemetery. Soon after Forest Lawn was opened, Omaha's pioneer burying place, Prospect Hill Cemetery, stopped being used. Shortly thereafter Prospect Hill's owner,

Byron Reed Byron Reed (March 12, 1829 – June 6, 1891) was an American pioneer real estate businessman and local politician in Omaha, Nebraska. He founded the first real estate office in the Nebraska Territory and became the foremost agent after Nebraska ...

, sold it to Forest Lawn in the 1890s.(nd
Historic Prospect Hill - Omaha's Pioneer Cemetery
. Nebraska Department of Education. Retrieved 7/7/07. That Cemetery soon fell into disrepair, and was only redeemed in the 1980s.

Notable interments

* Howard Malcolm Baldrige, U.S. Secretary of Commerce *

Kimera Bartee Kimera Anotchi Bartee (July 21, 1972 – December 20, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder and coach. Bartee played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies from 1996 to 20 ...

, baseball player and coach *Joseph Stillman Blake, architect with Blake & Zander * James E. Boyd, Mayor of Omaha, Governor of Nebraska *

Norris Brown Norris Brown (May 2, 1863January 5, 1960) was a Senator from Nebraska. Brown was born in Maquoketa, Iowa. The son of William Henry Harrison and Eliza Ann Phelps Brown, he attended Jefferson Iowa Academy and graduated with a law degree from the Un ...

Howard Homan Buffett Howard Homan Buffett (August 13, 1903 – April 30, 1964) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He was a four-term Republican United States Representative for the state of Nebraska. He was the father of Warren Buffett, the Amer ...

, father of

Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net w ...

Hugh Alfred Butler Hugh Alfred Butler (February 28, 1878July 1, 1954) was an American Republican politician from Nebraska Life and career Hugh Butler was born on a farm near Missouri Valley, Iowa on February 28, 1878. He graduated from Doane College at Crete, ...

* Caroline Augusta Clowry (G. Estabrook), first American woman to publish an opera *

Harry Buffington Coffee Harry Buffington Coffee (March 16, 1890 – October 3, 1972) was an American Democratic Party politician. Born near Harrison, Nebraska on March 16, 1890, a son of Samuel Buffington Coffee and May Elizabeth Tisdale. Harry graduated from the ...

* Tom Dennison, Omaha political boss * Richard A. Dier, judge *

Henry Doorly Henry Doorly (November 9, 1879 – June 21, 1961) was the chairman of the World Publishing Company and publisher of the ''Omaha World-Herald'' in Nebraska, founded by his father-in-law, U.S. Senator Gilbert Hitchcock. Doorly worked for the co ...

, publisher of ''Omaha World-Herald'' *

Experience Estabrook Experience Estabrook (April 30, 1813 March 26, 1894) was an American attorney and legal administrator. He was the 3rd Attorney General of Wisconsin and the 1st United States Attorney for the Nebraska Territory. Biography Born in Lebanon, N ...

* J.E. Goodson, 19th century musician *

Gilbert Hitchcock Gilbert Monell Hitchcock (September 18, 1859February 3, 1934) was an American congressman and U.S. Senator from Nebraska, and the founder of the ''Omaha World-Herald'' newspaper. Life and career Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Hitchcock was the son ...

, U.S. Senator and founder of ''Omaha World-Herald'' * Robert Beecher Howell * Albert Webb Jefferis * David Knox, Civil War photographer *

Herman Kountze Herman Kountze (August 21, 1833 – November 20, 1906) was a powerful and influential pioneer banker in Omaha, Nebraska, during the late 19th century. After organizing the Kountze Brothers Bank in 1857 as the second bank in Omaha, Herman and ...

Jesse Lowe Jesse Lowe (March 11, 1814 – April 3, 1868) was the first mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, serving for one year from March 5, 1857 to March 2, 1858. An important real estate agent in the early city, Lowe is credited with naming the city after the Omah ...

, first mayor of Omaha * Charles Frederick Manderson *

David Henry Mercer David Henry Mercer (July 9, 1857 – January 10, 1919) was an American Republican Party politician. Born in Benton County, Iowa on July 9, 1857, he moved with his parents to Adams County, Illinois in 1858. After the American Civil War he mov ...

Jarvis Offutt First Lieutenant Jarvis Jenness Offutt (October 26, 1894 – August 13, 1918) was an American aviator from Omaha, Nebraska, who died in World War I. Offutt Air Force Base is named in his honor. Early life Born and raised in Omaha, Offutt was ...

, World War I aviator, namesake of

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...

Anne Ramsey Angelina Anne Ramsey-Mobley (March 27, 1929 – August 11, 1988) was an American actress. She is best known for her film roles as Mama Fratelli in ''The Goonies'' (1985) and as Mrs. Lift in ''Throw Momma from the Train'' (1987), the latter of wh ...

, actress * Samuel Williams Reynolds *

Alvin Saunders Alvin Saunders (July 12, 1817November 1, 1899) was a U.S. Senator from Nebraska, as well as the final and longest-serving governor of the Nebraska Territory, a tenure he served during most of the American Civil War. Education Saunders was bor ...

* Walter Scott Jr.

References

External links

Forest Lawn Memorial Park
* {{coord, 41, 19, 42, N, 95, 58, 55, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-NE Cemeteries in Omaha, Nebraska History of Omaha, Nebraska Historic American Landscapes Survey in Nebraska 1885 establishments in Nebraska

History

Notable interments

See also

References

External links