|
|
|
The beginning of what is now Havelock came on November 10th, 1866 when about 0ne-half of the area was transfered from the United States Government to Jason G. Miller, In 1866, portions of the Townsite was deeded to Albert E. Touzalin of Omaha, Vice-President of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad. In 1887, Touzalin incorporated the Lancaster Land Company whose property ran from from what is now 48th Street on the West to 73rd Street on the East and from Adams Street on the South North to include Havelock Shops yard.As Jim McKee, Lincoln Historian writes, the name Havelock was chosen by Touzalin in honor of his boyhood hero, British Major-General Sir Henry Havelock. George Grant Smith, Havelock's first Postmaster and Jim's great grandfather couldn't have dreamed of how the city would develop in the 100 years following its incorporation in 1893. In 1890, the Land Company gave 300 Acres of their parcel to the Burlington Railroad which promised to build a 275,000 dollar repair facility to replace the outgrown repair facility at Plattsmouth Nebraska. The land cartel counted on the remaining 1,620 acres to rapidly increase in value as the community grew around the railroad facility. Ground was broken for the repair facility in June of 1890 and within a few months a 400" x 130' double brick building was built. 40 men began repair damage on three damaged locomotives. By 1895, Havelock Shops had on its payroll 400 men. The growth of Havelock and the Shops continued until 1922 when the men went on strike protesting Post WW1 pay reductions. 70 years later the strike has not been permanently resolved but Burlington is still the primary business in the community. In 1918, the Woods Bros. offered the Hebb Motor Works a land grant to encourage them to build a truck assembly factory. The company was short lived and repurchased by Woods Bros. Truck Manufacturing was resumed until 1926 when production rights for an airplane were obtained and the first Arrow Airplane rolled off the production line. In 1929, the firm's 700 employees were producing 4 airplanes a day. At this time in history, this made Arrow Aircraft the largest aircraft production facility in the world. One can see an Arrow Airplane suspended from the ceiling of Lincoln's Municipal Airport Building which was donated by Doctor Cram of Burwell, Nebraska. This particular aircraft was fitted with a Jacobs Radial Engine but latter aircraft was also fitted with the new Ford flathead V-8 water cooled engine. A project of the Lion's Club and students put lights on Ballard Field and evening football games were made possible. This not only made it possible for fathers to see their sons play but put football on a paying basis. The first night game was played on Wednesday October 29th, 1929. Jim McKee adds; although few people knew this at the time, this was the first lighted stadium west of the Missouri River and Havelock was the third United States school to have night football. After much discussion primarily centering on lower taxes, Havelock voted to annex the town to the city of Lincoln. One of the changes that occured almost immediatly was the removal of the lighting at Ballard Field and was reinstalled on the city tennis courts on South Street near Lincoln High School. Some people that annexation to Lincoln was a mistake and if the elections were held one year later, it might not have passed. This editors father and I operated a newly build Conoco Station in Havelock on the northeast corner of 60th and Havelock Avenue in 1953 and that building was just razed in 1999 . Over 60 years have passed and most of the original buildings since annexation are gone. In 1993, Havelock celebrated its centennial and in many respects remains today a city unto itself. Researched and edited from "Remember When...Memories of Lincoln, Nebraska by James L. McKee
|
|
Webmaster: Roger W. Miner at minerland@neb.rr.com
Last modified : January 1st, 2007
This page requires sound card to enjoy midi selections USE TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE TO NEGOTIATE THIS SITE "COPYRIGHT" FEBRUARY 2005 MASONRY NEBRASKA |
