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 e ...

. 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 (Republi ...

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 it ...

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 bodies ...

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 Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

, 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 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, 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 * Caroline Augusta Clowry (G. Estabrook), first American woman to publish an opera * Harry Buffington Coffee * Tom Dennison, Omaha political boss *

Richard A. Dier Richard Andrew Dier (February 27, 1914 – December 7, 1972) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. Education and career Born in Exeter, Nebraska, Dier received a Bachelor of Scie ...

, judge * Henry Doorly, publisher of ''Omaha World-Herald'' * Experience Estabrook *

J.E. Goodson John Edward Goodson (1808 – 1892) was a 19th-century North American classical music educator, performer, composer, and conductor. Goodson, a highly skilled pianist and organist, was born and raised in London, England, and received his early educa ...

, 19th century musician * Gilbert Hitchcock, U.S. Senator and founder of ''Omaha World-Herald'' *

Robert Beecher Howell Robert Beecher Howell (January 21, 1864 March 11, 1933) was an American politician. He was born in Adrian, Michigan. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1885. Afterwards, he went to the Detroit School of ...

Albert Webb Jefferis Albert Webb Jefferis (December 7, 1868 – September 14, 1942) was an American Republican Party politician. Born near Embreeville, Pennsylvania, he attended public schools in Romansville, Pennsylvania and the West Chester Normal School for thr ...

* 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 Om ...

, first mayor of Omaha *

Charles Frederick Manderson Charles Frederick Manderson (February 9, 1837September 28, 1911) was a United States senator from Nebraska from 1883 to 1895. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended school there and then moved to Canton, Ohio, in 1856, wh ...

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 moved ...

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 Ai ...

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 w ...

, 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 bo ...

Walter Scott Jr. Walter Scott Jr. (May 21, 1931 – September 25, 2021) was an American billionaire businessman, civil engineer, philanthropist, and CEO of Kiewit Corporation. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated at US$4.2 billion. Education He ...

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